16/10/2025
Hidden Como: A Walk from Via Teresa Rimoldi to Castel Baradello
Just a few steps from home, the path begins to climb. It’s quiet, lined with old walls and trees that have seen everything come and go; soldiers, pilgrims, families, and now, curious travelers looking for a slower rhythm.
This is the Parco Spina Verde, the green ridge that wraps around Como. The trail leads up to Castel Baradello, a stone tower that has watched the city for nearly a thousand years. The air changes as you walk; it gets lighter, cleaner, and when you reach the top, the view opens suddenly: Como, the lake, and the Alps in the distance. Every time, it feels new.
Along the way, there are small traces of the past: old bunkers, built during the war, now part of the Lereti water plant; an underground system carved into the mountain that still brings drinking water to the city. A strange mix of nature, history, and engineering; hidden in plain sight.
The walk begins on Via Teresa Rimoldi, a street that wasn’t always called that. It’s part of the old main road that once connected Como to Milan; what locals still affectionately call the old Via Napoleona. It was renamed in the 1930s after Teresa Rimoldi, a woman who donated her land and fortune to build Como’s hospital. Her legacy shaped this neighborhood. Every time I walk here, I think about that; how some people leave more than names behind.
There are many trails crossing these hills. Some end in panoramic terraces, others in silence and shade. Each one gives you a different view of Como, and somehow, of yourself too. It’s a simple walk, but it feels like stepping into the soul of the city.
© Photo by our family. all rights reserved.
