On the western shore of Lake Como, above the village of Ossuccio and facing the little Isola Comacina, a cobbled path climbs the hillside through olive groves and woods, past fourteen small chapels, to a sanctuary at the top. This is the Sacro Monte of Ossuccio, one of nine sacred mountains in Piedmont and Lombardy listed together by UNESCO. Built in the seventeenth century, the chapels illustrate the Mysteries of the Rosary with life-size terracotta and plaster figures arranged in dramatic scenes, each one a small piece of theatre.
The Sacri Monti were created in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, during the Counter-Reformation, as a way of bringing the sacred story to people who could not make the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They were meant to be walked, with each chapel a station for prayer and contemplation. Ossuccio's is one of the most beautiful because of its setting: the path offers changing views of the lake, the island and the mountains across the water. The walk up takes about half an hour.
Isola Comacina, the only island on Lake Como, has the ruins of early medieval churches and a famous restaurant that serves the same menu it has for decades. The nearby villages of Lenno and Sala Comacina are lovely, and Villa del Balbianello, on a promontory near Lenno, is one of the most famous villas on the lake, used as a film location.
The road along the western shore of Lake Como is narrow, busy and full of character. It hugs the water, passes through villages and tunnels, with bends and views. In summer, traffic is heavy, and coaches and cars can make it slow going. The roads that climb from the lake into the mountains, toward the Val d'Intelvi or over to Lake Lugano, are quieter and offer great riding. On the eastern shore lies Mandello del Lario, the home of Moto Guzzi, where the factory has a museum.
Mandello del Lario, about thirteen kilometres away by water, is the nearest larger town, but Lenno has fuel and food. Lake fish, such as missoltini, dried shad, are a local speciality. Spring and autumn are best for riding.