CHILOMETRO DELLA CONOSCENZA
The Chilometro della Conoscenza (KM_C) is a pedestrian route that connects the parks of three beautiful Como villas (Villa Olmo, Villa del Grumello and Villa Sucota) through paths dotted with greenhouses, chapels, lemon houses and botanical rarities.
The route is generally accessible from late March until early November, 9 am – 5 pm.
As can be guessed, the distance between the beginning and the end of the route, which runs entirely in the municipality of Como, is about 1 km (0.6 miles).
This makes it suitable for a short break in the shade of trees and for those looking for a more private place than the usual tourist destinations. Being flat, the walk is suitable for everyone, although some sections, which can be avoided in some cases, may be problematic for wheelchairs (contact park operators for more information on this).
Learn all about the Chilometro della Conoscenza and follow my own steps with the GPS routes I recorded on the Komoot app (available for iOS and Android)!
Useful tips
🎒 Things to bring with you
- Power bank
- A cape or poncho to cover yourself in case of rain, a hat for the sun
- Comfortable hiking shoes
- Energy snacks such as dried fruit and nuts
- Water (at least ½ liter)
- Sunscreen
- The Komoot app!
🚨 In case of emergency
Call 112 for any kind of emergency
Things to bring with you
- Power bank
- A cape or poncho to cover yourself in case of rain, a hat for the sun
- Comfortable hiking shoes
- Energy snacks such as dried fruit and nuts
- Water (at least ½ liter)
- Sunscreen
- The Komoot app!
In case of emergency
- Call 112 for any kind of emergency
The path connects Villa Olmo, Villa del Grumello and Villa Sucota, through a route that offers scenic and artistic-monumental beauty.
✨ Highlights
Note: The three villas may be unvisitable or have limited access. Read on for more information.
1. Villa Olmo, a historic neoclassical villa with a wide park that includes an Italian-style garden at the front and an English-style garden at the back. The villa is currently under restoration and therefore may not be accessible, but its grounds are open according to established hours and it is a nice place to relax within walking distance of the city center.
2. Villa del Grumello, the villa located in the heart of the Chilometro della Conoscenza and active in organizing cultural and artistic events, creative workshops, private events and more. Also not to be missed are the adjacent properties, such as the dockyard, the charming chapel, the greenhouses, and the park as a whole.
3. Villa Sucota, home of the Fondazione Ratti, a foundation that aims to promote research and experimentation in art and culture, involving scholars and artists in a lively and open environment. Villa Sucota houses Antonio Ratti's collection of antique textiles with more than 30,000 artifacts from around the world and a library open to the public with more than 7,800 volumes specializing in art, textiles, fashion and applied arts. Learn more about visits on the foundation's website.
📍 Facilities
Bars and restaurants
You will find a bar at Lido Villa Olmo and a refreshment stand at Villa del Grumello.
Grocery stores
🥾 Trail description
The route begins at Villa Olmo, an imposing neoclassical villa not far from the center of the city of Como and surrounded by a large park.
From Villa Olmo, cross the Chilometro della Conoscenza bridge, which allows you to cross the carriageable Via per Cernobbio. After a short stretch of tree-lined path, stairs lead to the Grumello bridge, after which the path continues downhill to the right.
You pass by some old horse stables and after a few minutes you reach Villa del Grumello. Here there are many small tables where you can relax while looking at the view and enjoying one of the organic and zero-mile products that can be purchased at the villa's refreshment stand. The garden also hosts many events, which you can check out here.
Continuing along the path you will encounter other points of interest, such as the villa's dockyard, a charming newly restored chapel, and a beautiful cloister overlooking the lake.
The route ends in the park of Villa Sucota, with its greenhouses and lemon house. Note: this part of the route is open only on Sundays.
From here you can choose to return by retracing the same route or take the upper path, which is more immersed in nature.
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This part of the trail passes through the upper trail to the previous one. It is on a forest path, more naturalistic and offers beautiful views of Lake Como.
✨ Highlights
Villa del Grumello's greenhouse, one of the most secluded and picturesque places in the park. The structure, dating back to the mid-19th century, features a masonry building and the actual greenhouse, consisting of an iron and cast iron structure.
The greenhouse contains climbing plants of the genus ficus repens and a pool with water, a nod to Anglo-Saxon glass houses. Recent renovations have made this space available for creative workshops, art exhibitions and events, photo shoots, and much more.
📍 Facilities
Bars and restaurants
You will find a bar at Lido Villa Olmo and a refreshment stand at Villa del Grumello.
Grocery stores
🥾 Trail description
The trail begins at Villa Sucota, and continues along the hillside in the shade of the trees.
After passing a beautiful viewpoint over Villa del Grumello, you will arrive at the villa's greenhouses, in one of the most secluded and atmospheric places in the park. The structure housing the greenhouses, which like the villa can host creative workshops and art events (among other things), overlooks a small and charming pond populated with fish.
After that, take the Grumello bridge again and head back in the direction of Villa Olmo, the point from which you started.
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