Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
la carte or opt for the four-course set menu (€42), which includes a tasty mixed vegetable
dish, risotto and a melt-in-the-mouth fillet of lake perch.
Locanda dell'Isola
( 0344 5 50 83;
www.comacina.it
; set menu €67; noon-2.30pm & 7-9.30pm Wed-Mon, closed Dec & Jan)
Since 1947 Locanda dell'Isola has been serving the same abundant set menu on the south
side of the island, characterised by a round of nine vegetables, cold meats, trout, chicken,
cheese and dessert. To finish off, brandy is burned in a huge pot to ward off the excommu-
nication of the island declared by the Bishop of Como back in the 12th century. No credit
cards.
ITALIAN
€€€
Getting There & Away
Six public ferries a day stop on the island, but they're only good for afternoon visits with
the last ferries stopping at 4.50pm (northbound) and 5.59pm (southbound). Otherwise,
there's a boat service (€7 to €9, 10 to 15 minutes) that shuttles from a landing on Piazza
Matteotti in Sala Comacina between 9am and 10pm, with a final return service leaving at
midnight.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Sacro Monte di Ossuccio
High above the hamlets that make up the village of Ossuccio, a series of 14 chapels (built
from 1635 to 1714) dedicated to the Mysteries of the Rosary lead to the Sacro Monte di
Ossuccio. It's one of several such devotional paths created in the 17th century in Lom-
bardy and Piedmont (the only one on Lake Como) and included in a World Heritage Site
listing. The 20-minute climb along the cobblestone lane is worth it more than anything
else for the matchless views that it offers over olive groves, the Isola Comacina and the
lake beyond. At the top, you reach
Santuario della Madonna del Soccorso
, which houses a 14th-
century sculpture of Our Lady to which miraculous powers were long attributed.
From Ossuccio, drive up to Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII, where the pilgrim path be-
gins. You'll find the
Trattoria del Santuario
(
0344 5 63 11; meals €25-30;
11.30am-2.30pm & 6-9pm
Wed-Mon)
at the top.
Keen walkers could proceed uphill (about two hours for the moderately fit) to reach the
splendid Romanesque
Chiesa di San Benedetto
, at the heart of a picture- postcard setting.
