Lake Como Greenway, from Colonno to Griante

A signposted path of 11.2 km along the western shore of the lake, from Colonno to Griante, linking seven villages among villas, Romanesque and Baroque churches and cobbled alleys. It is walked in about three and a half hours and you can cut it wherever you like: the boat and the bus run along the same shore.

The route by stages

1. Colonno – Sala Comacina. It starts at the southern entrance to Colonno, next to the Greenway signs. You look back towards the church of San Michele Arcangelo and cross the old bridge over the Pessetta stream.
2. Sala Comacina – Ossuccio. A quarter of an hour to the cemetery and the chapel of San Rocco. A 300 m detour goes down to the old town and the harbour, opposite Isola Comacina, the only island on the lake.
3. Ossuccio – Lenno. The Romanesque church of Santi Giacomo e Filippo, the sanctuary of the Beata Vergine del Soccorso, which crowns the Sacro Monte of Ossuccio, and the Villa del Balbiano.
4. Lenno – Mezzegra. The Lenno lido, the square and the baptistery of San Giovanni. From here the 1.1 km detour to Villa del Balbianello, at the tip of the promontory, branches off.
5. Mezzegra – Tremezzo. The hardest stage, with a slope. You pass the church of Sant'Abbondio, with its terrace over the lake, the Casa dei Presepi, free all year, and the village of Bonzanigo.
6. Tremezzo – Griante. The Bolvedro district, the Teresio Olivelli park, the arcades of Tremezzo and Villa Carlotta, with its botanical garden.
7. Griante. The last stretch follows the shore along a protected path beside the road, passes the Cadenabbia quay and the Anglican church and ends next to the bus stop.

Surface, ascent and signposting

It is a village path, not a mountain one: cobbled alleys, stairs, some stretches of asphalt and passages beside the SS 340 Regina road, which must be crossed with care in several places. It goes up and down the slopes between villages, without big climbs; the fifth stage is the steepest. The Lake Como Greenway signs mark the way from Colonno.

Getting there and getting back

• By car: in Colonno you park on Via Cappella. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays it costs €5 for the whole day, paid at the wooden hut at the start of the street.
• By bus: ASF line C10, Como – Menaggio – Colico, runs along the shore and stops at all the villages. It is the simplest way to get back to the car.
• By boat: Navigazione Laghi boats stop at Sala Comacina, Campo, Lenno, Tremezzo and Villa Carlotta. Returning to the starting point across the lake is half the plan.

When to go

You can walk all year. The best seasons are from March to June, with the villas' azaleas and rhododendrons in flower, and autumn. In July and August set out early: there are stretches in the sun and the cobbles store heat. In rain the cobbles are slippery.

With children, dog, pushchair or bike

• Children: suitable for all ages. Split the path into two or three stages and return by boat.
• Dog: allowed.
• Pushchair and wheelchair: no, because of the stairs and cobbles. With small children, a baby carrier.
• Bike: not recommended, because of the slopes, narrow alleys and steps.

There are public toilets at Ossuccio, in the clinic and at the Antiquarium, and at the Lenno town hall. For food, every village has bars and trattorias by the water.