The Greenway is a fascinating route that winds from Colonno to Tremezzo, two small towns on the Como shore of Lake Como.
The departure of our itinerary is in Colonno, where you can find parking just outside the village or near the church overlooking the lake. We leave you directly on the map the indications for these two references.
The whole route is well supported by blue and yellow signs that indicate the kilometers that separate you from the arrival. The signs are in both directions, so you can also consider doing it the other way around.
If you go all the way from Colonno to Tremezzo and then back, it will be a total of about 20 km.
Along the way you will find a lot of diversity: from the passage in the oldest village under the arches, to the vintage churches, from the views of the lake, to the beautiful villas that characterize the entire route.
Shortly after passing Colonno, the road will begin to climb and everything you leave behind you we assure you that deserves to be seen, but do not worry … sooner or later you will have to go back.
From Colonno you go straight up towards Sala Comacina, where you will not pass along the lake, but in the highest part, which on sunny days will provide a breathtaking view of the island Comacina and the whole lake.
Isola Comacina, as they quote on https://isola-comacina.it/, is “among the most interesting archaeological areas in northern Italy for the Early Middle Ages”.
Unique in the lake of Como, it was the protagonist of the history of Como in Roman and early medieval age, being a military oppidum, a political fulcrum, as well as one of the most important religious centers of the diocese. The greatness of the island in the history is such to consider it the mythical place from which would have risen the ars muraria of the Magistri Comacini, and also from which would have started the whole process of development of the Italian medieval art. The splendid history of the Comacina seems to be abruptly interrupted in 1169, the annus horribilis that marked its tragic destiny: devastated and razed to the ground by the Comacini and Barbarossa, the island decayed rapidly, ending up in a state of abandonment in the following centuries.
Appreciated for its characteristic luxuriant nature and for the splendid panoramas, the Comacina Island has regained the honor of a time from 1900, through the realization of the three villas for artists, of rationalist style, destined to render the island a hearth of the art.
From Sala Comacina, we continue towards Ossuccio and then Lenno, without forgetting all the small villages along the way. We assure you that they are really many and difficult to remember.
Along the way you can also find historical signs, a sign that this route has existed for many years and that only in recent decades has been re-evaluated and arranged to give tourists the opportunity to see some special features of Lake Como.
As we mentioned before you will find many signs in both directions that indicate how much you need before the end of the route in Tremezzo.
The old churches will keep you company throughout the first part, but then give way to period villas overlooking a stretch of water so blue that sometimes you will struggle to distinguish it from the sky.
Some villas, if not almost all, are closed to the public, but a glimpse, a stop, a photo or even just a moment to admire some masterpieces we believe that can repay everything.
From here on you will start to enter the small tunnels of the most mysterious and historical part of the Greenway, particularly in the village of Ossuccio.
The whole route will be a continuous succession of stairs, cobblestones, steep climbs followed by descents that are hard on our poor knees, but don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of spots where you can catch your breath and simply enjoy the scenery. A little further on you’ll stop in Lenno, one of the largest towns on this stretch of coast.
Lenno is famous for the presence of one of the most beautiful villas in the area, protected by the FAI, the Villa del Balbianello.
Since the 1990s, the beauty of Villa del Balbianello has made it a popular film location. In its halls and gardens have been shot several international films, including John Irvin’s A Month at the Lake (1995), Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones by George Lucas (2002) Casino Royale by Martin Campbell (2006).
To get to the villa it is necessary to enter its park by deviating for a moment from the original route. The local authorities, but especially the FAI itself organizes events to visit this villa that overlooks the lake and offers a unique view of Lake Como.
After Lenno you will also pass through Pola, one of the many hamlets we have mentioned and its municipality Mezzegra. This is where there are the hardest stairs that you will surely remember.
It may be hard to get through here, but once you’re at the top of these steps you’ll have the lake again with the mountains behind you making a perfect backdrop; need anything else?
The last village of the itinerary is Tremezzo, the town with the largest number of period villas of the entire Greenway.
All these villas enjoy a privileged view of Lake Como. Among the most beautiful we certainly mention Villa Sola Cabiati, Villa Amilia, Villa Carlia, Villa Carlotta and finally the Grand Hotel Tremezzo.
The route offers endless points to take pictures and discover the lake in all its parts, what about it, do you want a tour after all that we have shown you?
Type of route: mainly asphalt and cobblestones
Water: there are several fountains along the greenway, starting from Colonno where you will find it just after the church, until Tremezzo where you will find it inside the park (before the Grand Hotel Tremezzo).
