Hiking the Greenway di Lago di Como

Here on the lake there are many walking routes and paths that have been great for getting out into nature and exploring the little towns and villages that dot the lake.

Here is a map of the lake, showing our location of Menaggio. If you squint at it, the lake kind of looks like a man running without arms. Menaggio is at his waist on the western side, the town of Varenna is just opposite on the eastern side, the wine region of Valtellina is up by his neck and head, the town of Lecco is his right foot,  the larger city of Como is his big left toe, and Bellagio is...well, let's forget the body parts and just say Bellagio is in the middle of the lake at the tip of the central peninsula.  

Map courtesy of: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=653364

If you have the time, one of the best walks to do in the area is the Greenway di Lago di Como hike. It's a six-mile stretch of the western shore (from just above the running man's knee to his waist). For a couple of euros we were able to get bus tickets from Menaggio to the southern starting point in Colonno.

As you might guess, it's a very scenic walk with some stunning views of the lake. This is the small village of Sala Comacina with the church spire of San Bartolomeo just in front of the tiny uninhabited island of Isola Comacina. Isola Comacina is Lake Como's only island - you can reach it by taxi boat and have a look at the archeaological museum and the ruins of a few ancient churches. In June each year, the island and town of Sala Comacina celebrate the festival of St. John with music and fireworks over the water.  

Our Greenway walk continued into the town of Ossuccio where we walked past the stately Villa Balbiano. It was originally built in the 1600s and went through several restorations starting in the 1960s. There are several villas on the lake that tourists can visit, but to see the inside of this one you would have to book one of its six private suites. Riffraff like us have to be content with just taking a photo through the gate.

From Ossuccio we walked along the lakefront in Lenno, then up into the hills of Mezzegra. Getting up here was quite a workout. But we were rewarded with this view of the hillside down to the lake with the tower of the parish church of Sant'Abbondio overlooking the pastures and olive groves. Not far from this town is where the fascist leader Benito Mussolini was shot in April 1945 after being captured up in Dongo (northern bit of the lake) trying to escape to Spain.

We took a little rest inside the church of Sant'Abbondio. Built in 1724 the inside of this church has an amazing fresco painting on the dome by Giulio Quaglio. The painted saints, cherubs, and angels all look like they are about to tumble down from heaven right into the church.

Continuing back downhill we came to the town of Tremezzo. The Chiesa San Lorenzo is very recognizable with its orange and tan striped exterior (which must be quite a job to maintain when it comes time to repaint).

Tremezzo is home to some really splendid villas. Villa Carlotta is probably the most famous. It's open for visitors and we plan on visiting it later in the trip so I'll post photos then. But we also passed by Villa Sola Cabiati, which is now part of the Grand Hotel Tremezzo with very spendy nightly rates. A peek at the website shows some spectacularly luxurious rooms starting at 1500 Euro and upwards per night.

Speaking of the Grand Hotel Tremezzo it is a five-star luxury hotel and one of the premier hotels on the lake. It was built in 1910 and has been a glamorous vacation destination ever since. 

It even has its own private beach club with a pool floating right in the lake in case you prefer chlorine to lake water. By this point we had walked a little over six miles and were ready to jump in the lake ourselves. Or at least cool off with a cold beer or scoop of gelato; I feel like we definitely earned it!