The Lario and its wonders: hiking in “Spina Verde” Park

Let’s go! Hiking in the Spina Verde Park, I will take you along natural trails, to find hidden treasures that you wouldn’t even have dreamed of. What do you think, wanna come?

The Spina Verde Park, what is it all about?

Si estende sulla fascia collinare che sale dalla pianura cittadina di Como e prosegue ad ovest toccando le località di Monte Olimpino, San Fermo della Battaglia, Cavallasca e Colverde.

It is a regional natural park in the Lario area. It stretches on the hills rising from the plains of Como town and continue westwards touching Monte Olimpino, San Fermo della Battaglia, Cavallasca and Colverde. Other than a famous bicycle area (I talked about bike hiking in my last post) the park is known for its many hiking trails, to explore and conquer by foot, easy to medium difficulty, suitable for just about anyone. The itineraries indicated by the Park run through large areas of natural, historical and archaeological interest, and they offer sweeping panoramic views of the Como Lake and the early hills. You’ll also find restaurants along the ways, ready to serve the flavors of the culinary tradition of Como.

During the season there are organized guided tours and unusual field trips that will let you discover the fascinating nature, for example during the mystic night walks, and some of the secrets that lie behind the ancient stones scattered along the way. The itinerary that I will concentrate on today is “Sentiero Protostorico” (Protostoric Trail), and it is characterized by archaeological areas with visible signs and evidence of the pre-Roman civilization “Golasecca“: among the oldest to have ever lived the lands of the lake.

How do you arrive at the “Spina Verde” Park?

From Hotel Posta in Moltrasio it’s very simple to reach the park. Take Queen’s Street Regina towards Como and pass by the city of Cernobbio, keep going straight until the roundabout close to the Villa Olmo park. Turn right and follow directions for San Fermo della Battaglia; staying to the right at the next intersection, you’ll arrive at an uphill climb, and at the end of it your turn left towards the town Prestino. Isonzo road is your starting point.

Hiking in the “Spina Verde” Park, let’s start!

From Isonzo road you’ll head out going southbound on Ronchetto road, and then turn left onto Monte Croce road, an uphill cobbled road surrounded by deciduous forests. Once you pass the reservoir of the keep going until you reach a flat area where the first stretch of the proto-historic path begins, going slightly down hill. At first, after a short ride, you’ll arrive at the Fonte della Mojenica (it means swamp land, and it comes from the Celtic word Muit), a cave made out of large stones,probably linked to the sacred worship of water. You are still on the main road, and with the first archeological area to visit on your low left.

The first path going downhill will take you to Ovale Room, a large basin dug out in the rock, maybe used as a silo for food storage, and just a little further in, Roccione di Prestino, where you can still see signs and carvings in the rock made by wagons and carriages. To the right the itinerary will take you to another couple of intersections: taking the left one you’ll arrive at to excavations points; used for extracting sandstone; climbing uphill to the right you see the Carugo Chamber, likely to have been crafts room. Now you can return back to the main road, and continuing onwards, to the left, leaving the Fonte della Mojenica behind you. After a couple of turns you’ll arrive in front of the Grand Chamber, where you’ll see the basement of a two-storey building, dug into the hillside.

Returning back to the main trail and passing the road openings already taken, you’ll go on straight until you arrive at Pianvalle town, and its ancient town center still intact. Here you can see the foundations of the huts and some craft structures dating back to the Iron Age. Close by the impressive big Rock of Pianvalle rises up, with its sandstone surface full of curious carvings, probably carved during religious rituals. To know the tecnical characteristics of the itinerary, along with the latest updates on seasonal activities, you should take a look at the website of the park.

The Spina Verde Park is full of fun trails to discover, and to keep you occupied from early morning until sunset! On your return to Hotel Pasta in Moltrasio, Armando and I, along with all of our staff will greet you with a delicious dinner at the Restaurant La Veranda to finish off your great day discovering the beautiful territories of the Lario.

We are waiting for you with open arms!