Walks in Tremezzina: from Ossuccio to Mezzegra

The Greenway of Lake Como, which winds for about 10 km through the towns and villages of Colonno, Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno, Mezzegra, Tremezzo and Griante, offers many "variations" to meet the needs of everyone: from the most experienced walker to those who simply want to enjoy a quiet walk.

The route that we propose is definitely suitable for those who are not expert walkers, but do not want to deprive themselves of the experience of enjoying the beautiful places and landscapes that surround this area.

It starts from the parking lot of Ossuccio, hamlet of Ospedaletto, next to the famous bell tower, one of the best known and most photographed symbols of Lake Como. Already here, even before setting off, a stop would be a must. I suggest you to go down the stone staircase that leads to the Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maddalena, part of an ancient medieval complex, once used as a hospice for poor people and pilgrims and now the Antiquarium Museum of Comacina Island.

Continue to descend to the landing stage for Comacina Island, the only island of Lake Como, which will now appear right in front of you, in all its lush beauty. From here begins a pleasant walk to the lake, which will bring you back to the Via Statale Regina.

Continue for about ten meters to your right and, just in front of the Post Office, you will join the Greenway of Lake Como, recognizable by the blue and yellow signs and metal plates on the ground.

Continue until you reach the gate of Villa del Balbiano, one of the five oldest villas on the lake and always one of the most courted and desired residences in the world, now owned by a young and rich Russian heiress, where you can admire its elegant Italian gardens.

Cross the bridge over the river Perlana to the historic center of Campo, an ancient Roman "castrum", from where, through narrow alleys and descents to the lake, you reach Villa Monastero, once an ancient historic residence and today a popular location for exclusive weddings.

Continue along the path and skirt the peninsula of Lavedo, until you reach the Lido di Lenno, from where you can easily reach Villa del Balbianello and from where begins the Lenno lakefront, which winds along the Golfo di Venere, so named for its unusual beauty, passing through the characteristic square, with the Church of Santo Stefano and the Baptistery of San Giovanni, until you reach the pier.

Cross the small bridge over the river Pola, follow the path to the lake behind the Hotel San Giorgio and go up the cobbled lane until you reach the State Road.

At this point we suggest you leave the Greenway and continue to the right until you reach the Municipal Park of Mezzegra, often used for festivals and village fairs among the most popular of Tremezzina. Continue along the path to the right of the entrance to the park, Via Andrea Colombo, and, when you find an open gate on your right, do not hesitate to go through it to access a terrace on the lake, just in front of Villa Le Fontane, where you can enjoy an absolutely incredible view.

Go back on the path and continue until you reach the picturesque square of the hamlet of Azzano di Mezzegra, on the lake shore, where you can admire a centuries-old magnolia, imposing, 16 m high and with a trunk 1.3 m in diameter: a real monument!

At this point, leave the lake behind, go up the little cobblestone road to the right of the little square, reach the state road again, cross it and go along Via XXIV Maggio, where the way back begins, along which you can see everything from a different point of view: from above.

First of all, after about one hundred meters, once reached the hamlet of Giulino di Mezzegra, on your right, you will find the entrance of Villa Belmonte, marked by a black cross and a shrine with the photographs of Benito Mussolini and Claretta Petacci to commemorate the place where they were executed at the hands of the partisans on April 28, 1945.

Continue and at the first bend take Via Pola, just in front of you, along which on your right you will have a succession of pretty villas and residential complexes and on your left a wonderful view of the lake and in particular of the Gulf of Giglio in Tremezzo, the Gulf of Venus and the peninsula of Lavedo in Lenno and Bellagio on the opposite shore.

At the end of Via Pola, go down the cobbled lane between the farmhouses where, for a moment, you will have the feeling of having been catapulted back in time, cross the stone bridge over the Pola stream, go up the steps on your right and return to Lenno.

At the end of the path, past the "Cooperativa di Lenno", for years the site of festivals and gastronomic feasts, cross the pretty village of Masnate and reach Viale Libronico, along which you can find the detour to reach the Abbazzia dell'Acquafredda.

At the end of Viale Libronico, when you reach the historical center of Molgisio, characterized by an ancient wash-house, keep right, go down and up again, crossing again the stream Perlana and admiring its waterfalls, until you reach the first of a series of fourteen chapels representing the Mysteries of the Rosary and leading to the Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine del Soccorso: another walk and a view not to be missed!

You are back in Ossuccio; keep left and continue until the end of the road; turn left (at the second deviation) and start going downhill. Along the descent you can find the small but absolutely noteworthy Church of Sant'Agata, which preserves an ancient Roman votive altar, dated between the second and third century and which has handed down the name of the ancient place and its inhabitants: the Ausuciates.

Keep going downhill, Isola Comacina is in front of you again, and when also the unmistakable bell tower will be by now a few steps away, just before reaching again the State Road, on the last bend, look on the left to admire Villa Leoni, realized by the architect Pietro Lingeri at the beginning of the 40s, a monument of great artistic and architectural value, inserted in what is considered one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world. Cross the street and that's it: you have reached the point from which you started!