Walk from Sala Comacina to the Sacred Mount of Ossuccio

Between the villages of Colonno and Sala Comacina, before the cemetery of Sala Comacina (coming from Colonno), you can leave the Greenway of Lake Como with its lively and busy "life", especially on the lakefront, to take a really relaxing mountain path.

The path, very impressive from the point of view of nature and landscape, allows you to reach two destinations of great historical and cultural interest: the Torre del Soccorso, also known as the "Barbarossa", of medieval origin and now owned by the FAI and the Santuario della Beata Vergine del Soccorso, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has always been a place of pilgrimage, but also of affectionate devotion by the locals, who often go there just to pray to the Madonna.

These points of interest are not the only richness of the route.

Along the walk you can in fact enjoy the rural landscape that characterizes the first mountain range: a characteristic village of farmhouses, cultivated meadows, several domestic animals, such as donkeys, cows, goats, chickens, dogs and cats and often meet the local farmers, who like to stop people for a simple chat.

For cheese lovers we recommend a stop in the first farmhouses where you can buy an excellent cow cheese.

The path climbs for about 1.5 km until you reach a detour.
For the more adventurous, it is possible to continue uphill until reaching the Alpe di Sala. You will be greeted by a splendid panorama and a characteristic Agriturismo that produces goat cheese, salami and merlot wine.

The route that we suggest is taken instead by continuing on the flat road that passes through a group of renovated farmhouses.
In the area of the farms you can enjoy the magnificent view of the Gulf of the Isola Comacina.

Continuing beyond the farmhouses, the path descends and crosses a small valley always dry. Then proceed along the cobbled road that later becomes a path. The path leads into the woods and walking on a small and quaint wooden bridge you cross the valley that divides the municipalities of Sala Comacina and Ossuccio.

Crossed the valley, further on the right, you meet the Torre del Soccorso.
The tower is 400 meters high and its position, overlooking the Zoca de l'Oli, allows you to contemplate magnificent scenery of the lake and mountains.

Along the Tower you come to a new fork: going down you will enter the village of Ossuccio, but we recommend that you climb to the left to reach the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Rescue..

The Sanctuary, surrounded by greenery and completely isolated from any other construction, is a place of peace and tranquility. After the walk you can enjoy a well-deserved rest on the large square, with a spectacular view that sweeps from the Isola Comacina to the Balbianello peninsula, up to Tremezzo, Bellagio and Varenna. From the left side of the Sanctuary you can access a cool courtyard where you will find a bar/trattoria Trattoria del Santuario for a snack or a refreshing drink.

For those who want, we suggest a visit to the inside of the Sanctuary, not only a place of prayer and devotion, but also an important historical and architectural testimony, recently restored and returned to its former glory.

Leaving behind the square of the Sanctuary you can descend towards the Greenway following the path of chapels of Sacro Monte di Ossuccio, which winds through fields of olive trees along a cobblestone path and steps.

To accompany you a unique scenery, at every turn the view of the lake looks different and the views from the various vantage points are one more than the other. Stop to look at the inside of the Chapels, built between 1635.