Discover Olgiate Comasco: History and Green Ways

Olgiate Comasco between history and architecture

Olgiate Comasco combines traces of Roman times with churches, Villa Camilla and the historic “Medioevo” building complex. Archaeological finds from the Roman era include 1st-century Arezzo pottery from the workshop of Marco Perennio. The Romanesque Church of San Cassiano was donated to the Cluniac monks in 1093. The Church of San Gerardo was built in the 13th century and renovated in the 16th century.

The “Medioevo” complex is particularly multifaceted. At the entrance from Via Lucini, there is a tower on the left reminiscent of the Visconti Castle of Pandino in the Province of Milan. The historic building complex included stables, a coach house, barns, a room for silkworm breeding, a farm, a wine press, a wine cellar and the estate manager’s residence. For the redevelopment planned at the beginning of the 20th century, examples of 15th-century Lombard architecture served as inspiration. Palazzo Volta is the seat of the municipal administration of Olgiate Comasco. The various components range from silkworm breeding to the municipal administration of Olgiate Comasco.

Churches and Villa Camilla

The parish church of Santi Ippolito e Cassiano also features a distinctive architectural detail: the campanile has a square base and an octagonal upper section. The bell tower is known as the “Campanile del Fico” because a wild fig tree grew in its masonry for a long period. Villa Camilla is a neoclassical building and houses the municipal library.

The Parco di Villa Camilla is also part of the Villa Camilla ensemble. The park and the villa are accessible to people with mobility impairments. For those interested in culture in Olgiate Comasco, the municipal library and the accessible park at Villa Camilla form part of the same ensemble of a neoclassical building and green space.

Green corridors and paths through the landscape

The disused railway line of Olgiate Comasco forms a green corridor and an alternative cycling route along the Varese–Como road. The disused railway line and the Sentiero dei Pecit represent two different routes through the landscape: a cycling connection and a path along changing landscapes. The Torrente Antiga rises between the municipalities of Olgiate Comasco and Solbiate con Cagno.

The Sentiero dei Pecit passes the point known as “Quattro confini”. This is where the municipal boundaries of Oltrona, Olgiate Comasco, Lurate Caccivio and Beregazzo meet. Along the path, forests, meadows and small wetlands alternate. Frogs, newts, salamanders and toads are found in these wetlands. Another connection is the Strada Cavallina–Luganese: in Falappio, in the hamlet of Bontocco, it runs via Via Cavallina and from there to Cascina Contaluppo.

A religious event in the annual calendar

Every year on 25 April, the parish community of Olgiate Comasco undertakes a pilgrimage to Monza.

Further places for your trip to Italy

Further places for your travel planning: Dosso del Liro, Garzeno, Cavargna, Menaggio, Torno, Albavilla, Magreglio, Plesio.

To the higher-level travel overview: Como.