Italian Lakes: The Greenway Walks - Part 7

There are numerous, ancient amazing proofs, starting from the Romanesque churches in the city: above all, Sant’Abbondio, San Fedele and San Carpoforo, Broletto, the ancient city hall, is also of that period. At its side the Cathedral, one of the main cathedrals of Northern Italy. Moreover, Como offers important modern architectures like Giuseppe Teragni’s casa del Fascio.

Do not miss the brand New The Life Electric sculpture designed by Daniel Libeskind, created in 2015 and located in Como, on the dam (visible from the lake). We stay on the lake: on its eastern shore there is villa Geno and on the west bank of the Villa Olmo, from where begins the Chilometro della Conoscenza.

An extraordinary walk from Villa Olmo to Villa Sucota, passing through Villa Del Grumello. It’s the incomparable pedestrian route opened a few months ago, which connects the three prestigious villas facing over Lake Como, passing through the paths in their respective parks with greenhouses, chapels, lemon trees and botanic rarities. A natural path which links not only 17 hectares of secular parks of rare beauty and a beautiful landscape, but also of some cultural, historical and artistically value, based on creativity and on the sharing of cultural, entrepreneurial initiatives of high formation and of scientific research.

We set off from Villa Olmo, the most important villa among many dating back to XVIII and XIX century, which characterizes part of Lake Como. In typical Lombard neoclassical style, it has been built since 1782 from the Odescalchi family based on the project of the Swiss architect Simone Cantoni from Canton Ticino. On the side of the villa, two side openings lead off to the romantic park.

Going through the cedars of Lebanon, horse-chestnuts and plane trees you can reach the kilometer bridge, a pedestrian bridge built in 2012 by the Chamber of Commerce in Como, 42 metres long in a single aisle leading to Serre and villa del Grumello, which was a farm building made of two floors surrounded by a vineyard, a lawn and a rich orchard with walnuts and chestnuts in XV century.

Villa del Grumello passed through different owners and hosted many famous personalities like Vincenzo Monti, Alessandro Volta and Ugo Foscolo, whose frequent visits to the Giovio family are remembered by a bust placed in the garden. The park, from where you can have beautiful glimpses over the first basin of Lake Como and of the city, is really beautiful.
End of part 7, continued part 8