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Walking from Como to Brunate

Walking from Como to Brunate or take the Funicolar…. what’s the best……  

Walking from Como to Brunate: just an hour’s walk to reach Brunate. This small town is on the top of a mountain. It is famous for the presence of numerous villas in an eclectic and liberty style. On the other hand you can easily reach the village using the railroad. That’s to say the funicolar  which connects it to the city of Como.

This is a unique opportunity to see Como from the top!

During the walk there are  numerous panoramic points from which you can see the Monterosa and the entire Alpine arc. On clear days the gaze reaches the Po Valley up to the Apennines. For this reason Brunate is known as the “Balcony on the Alps”.

Secondly you could also think of the ascent with the funicular and the descent on foot, to admire the city of Como and its lake from above.

Many Brunatesi, since 1894, uses the “Funi” every day to go to the city. If you dont’ want to catch it, there are at least two interesting itineraries that lead from Como to Brunate.

First way  ” Walking from Como to Brunate “: La via delle Scalette

This way was the first connection by foot from Como to Brunate. The name derives from the fact that it was originally composed entirely of paved steps.

“There was up to a friend who took the trouble to count the steps, which are 1630 – not one more and not one less”, wrote Luigi Porlezza in his book, dated 1894. In addition he also describes the beauty of Brunate. Therefore it visited “by many foreigners attracted by the freshness of the air and by the magical beauties of that very amenable site … blessed nest to which nature, though profuse in its great copy of its gifts”

Today these steps have partly been lost but the charm of this street certainly still remains.

The beginning of the path

The trail starts at the end of Via Tommaso Grossi. Just nearby the beginning of the road to Brunate. First you cross a small bridge over the Valduce stream. Secondly you pass the last apartment buildings on Via Crispi and after a few minutes, you find yourself at a crossroads. The road to follow is the one on the left, with an uphill flight of steps. On the other way you pass through the Val Gioiera and  you reach the hamlet of Garzola. Here there is the Shrine of Water Sports.

After that you arrive at the foot of the former Franciscan convent of San Donato. This ancient and interesting building is now used as a private residence.

The mule track continues steeply. It passes in front of the main door of the complex sacred building. Then it turns around it and reaches a small paved road that is upstream. As soon as you cross the road, the climb becomes softer. Consequently you can reach Brunate in about twenty minutes. You arrived near the town hall, just a hundred meters from the Brunate funicular station.

Time required

Although the climb is not always easy, the entire route does not require more than 45/60 ′. Along the way there are panoramic points of considerable interest where you can have a rest.

Second way ” Walking from Como to Brunate “: climb Carescione and Falchetto

The second way starts in via Stoppani, in Como. The way is on the corner with via Coloniola, a few meters from the railstation to Milan and from the funicular too. You come across an old indication…. “Path to Brunate, two hours” … The time indicated is undoubtedly overestimated, but from this stairway it is possible to walk up from Como to Brunate in about an hour.

In this second way you can actually choose two possible paths.

The beginning of the first path

The first is mostly a mule track, not always in excellent condition, which passes through the Carescione area.
A steeply sloping stairway rises to the right, just after two buildings in poor maintenance conditions.
With several hairpin bends, located south-east of the funicular tracks, pass the intermediate stations of the funicular (stop on request), first that of Como Alta and then that of Carescione. In the middle of the track, on the landing of the roadman built next to the interchange, there is a cannon colored blue red, known by the people of Como as the Cannon of the South “. It is a cannon built in 1912 that shoots a blank shot to signal the hour every noon today.
You then arrive at the location “Ai Piani” and continue on a paved road to the center of Brunate.
Along the way, a couple of hairpin bends before the Ai Piani stop, there is a half-ruined building, ancient crotto, covered with graffiti, including curious dreamlike drawings. To reach it you must cross the archways that support the funicular line. The building is unsafe, but from its terrace you have a splendid view.

The beginning of the second path

The second ” Walking from Como to Brunate ” is a path that continues straight ahead to climb, with hard tears, up to the Hotel Falchetto Restaurant.

Photo by Bruno Tettamanti

Along the way you will be able to meet some properties for sale, such as:

Como lake view villa 

Brunate Como villa Lakeview