image

The green side

The Greenway, a classic lakeside walk

It all starts out at Colonno, a small village on the western shore of Lake Como. The walk is suitable for everyone, with no excessive changes in altitude, alternating between stretches along the lakeshore and other sections that venture inland. It is a route of about 10 km for all seasons, passing through the municipalities of Colonno, Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno, Mezzegra, Tremezzo and Griante. The Lake Como is all times to the right of the walker and its winding way affords views of high and steep mountains, where snow gives way to grassy meadows after the first sunny afternoons of spring.

image
image

There is no danger of losing the way here as the route is well posted at every stage by yellow and blue signage. There is an inscribed guide on tiles laid in the ground along the pathway, giving both information and directions. The presence of all the signs means the walk can be started from any village along the way, making the Greenway a flexible and always different route.

image

Sometimes the words 'Strada Regina' appear, which was in ancient times known as Via Regia due the importance it held as the master road. In the Middle Ages it was renamed the Regina, or "Queen’s Road", because it was used by Queen Teodolinda. It was in fact a Roman road that connected the plain to the regions on the other side of the Alps, and today in part coincides with the present state highway, and in part with paths and tracks that can be covered on foot.