Ossuccio, Lake Como: The Village of the Sacred Mountain

Ossuccio village and Isola Comacina on Lake Como — Ossuccio on the western shore, with Isola Comacina to the right. Photo: Alessandro Vecchi / Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ossuccio looks across calm water to Isola Comacina, but its most remarkable landscape climbs behind the village. Fourteen chapels rise through woods and olive terraces to the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Soccorso, forming Lake Como’s UNESCO-listed Sacred Mount.

Between the lakeside bell tower, the island views and the pilgrimage path, Ossuccio combines scenery with some of the lake’s deepest religious history.

A brief history

The area was settled before the Roman period and later became closely tied to nearby Isola Comacina. Medieval churches survive around the village, while the Sacred Mount took shape in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In 2003 it joined eight other Sacred Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Where Ossuccio sits on the lake

Ossuccio is part of Tremezzina on the central western shore, between Sala Comacina and Lenno. It faces Isola Comacina and the sheltered bay known locally as the Zoca de l’Oli.

Sacred Mount of Ossuccio chapels, sanctuary and Lake Como — The chapels and sanctuary of the Sacred Mount of Ossuccio above Lake Como. Photo: Mario Falcetti / Wikimedia Commons – CC BY 4.0.

The best things to see in Ossuccio

1. The Sacred Mount of Ossuccio

A rising avenue links fourteen Baroque chapels before reaching the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Soccorso. The route combines art, devotion and increasingly wide lake views; allow time and wear comfortable shoes.

2. Santa Maria Maddalena

The slender bell tower of Santa Maria Maddalena is one of the most recognisable silhouettes on Lake Como. It stands in the lakeside hamlet of Ospedaletto, close to the water opposite the island.

3. The shore facing Isola Comacina

Ossuccio’s waterfront provides some of the clearest island views. This article keeps the focus on the village and Sacred Mount; for the island itself, continue with our Sala Comacina guide.

Planning your visit

Getting there. Western-shore buses stop in Ossuccio, and seasonal boats serve nearby landings. Check our ferry guide before relying on a boat connection.

Best for. UNESCO heritage, religious art, walking and travellers interested in the history behind the lake landscape.

When to go. Spring and autumn for the climb; start early on warm summer days.

Nearby. Sala Comacina lies south and Lenno north.

Ossuccio rewards the climb: every chapel lifts you farther above the lake until village, island and mountains become one landscape.