Lake Como – Part 1

Mesmerized by its majestic beauty, Virgil, also refered to as the father of Roman poetry, hailed Lake Como as “our grandest lake”, a proclamation that echoes through the centuries.
Exuding a unique blend of glamour and discretion, this ancient Roman holiday destination has lost none of its allure.

Its exultant and glittering personality has always been on display as a perpetual haven for Nobility, countless artists, Hollywood, world leaders and gourmands.
Verdi composed La Traviata at Lake Como, Shelley, Puccini and Rossini found inspiration here. Alfred Hitchcock chose to make his very first film The Pleasure Garden on the verdant grounds of the Villa d’Este in 1925. Napoleon stayed here. Winston Churchill stayed here, John F. Kennedy also. Anf of course George Clooney…

But beneath its aura of mystique lies a humble side that deserves as much fanfare as its flashier counterpart.

Part 1 – The villas.

No photo can prepare you for the almost surreal beauty of Lake Como, fringed with picturesque villages and gorgeous villas, some of which date from the Renaissance.

Below is a compilation of magnificent villas worth visiting while spending some restorative time on the water and on land over a long weekend, suggestions we hope you’ll enjoy reading.

Let’s start with the eclectic-style Villa Monastero in Varenna, that houses a museum since 2003 and was backdrop for our latest collection:

Built on the site of a Cisterian monastery, the villa’s origin trace back to the 17th century, though it has undergone many transformations over the years.

Stepping into Villa Monastero offers a glimpse into the storied past of its erstwhile residents, as the house has been meticulously maintained with its original furnishings.

The museum itinerary covers 14 opulently adorned parlors and rooms. Among the most important are the Sala Nera, in neo-Renaissance style, the Sala della musica, the salottino Mornico, the ala rossa with neo-Rococo tapestries and furnishings, and the Sala Fermi, where the Physicist Enrico Fermi delivered his last lectures in 1954.

Yet, the crowning glory of this elegant villa remains the resplendent botanical garden, rich in rare and exotic botanical species, which stretches for almost two kilometers along the lakefront from Varenna to Fiumelatte.

To book a visit, go to https://www.vivaticket.com/it/ticket/villa-monastero/229404

Villa Melzi

Commissioned in the early 19th century for Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Duke of Lodi and vice president of the Italian Republic under Napoléon, villa Melzi embodies neoclassical restraint. Set aside the rolling hills of Bellagio, the sober white structure features sculptures by Antonio Canova and pieces by other important artists of the era. Villa Melzi is a private residence and not open to the public, but a leisurely stroll in its vast English gardens overlooking the lake is well worth a visit.

Tickets can be purchased at entrance of the gardens and are valid for the museum and the family chapel.

For more informations visit https://giardinidivillamelzi.it/en/home-eng/

Villa Carlotta

The regal pastel pink facade of Villa Carlotta commands attention at first sight. Built in the late 17th century for the prominent silk merchant Clerici family, the villa is an architectural wonder with idyllic grounds. Located in Tremezzo, just across the lake from Bellagio, the villa contains masterpieces of neoclassical sculptors such as Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorvaldsen, Romantic painters such as Francesco Hayez, and other artistic and curious objects, and intricate frescoes adorn the walls. Once a wedding present to Princess Charlotte of Prussia, for whom it is named, the villa offers fantastic views over the lake and the 20-acres terraced gardens, bursting with over 500 plant species, including 150 varieties of azaleas, a rhododendron forest, assorted camellias, a fern-filled valley and arched tunnels of citrus trees.

To book a visit, go to https://online.villacarlotta.it/organizza-la-tua-visita

Villa del Balbianello

Aside from starring as a location in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, it is worth a visit as one of the region’s best-preserved villas and its location is utterly sublime. Perched atop a wooded peninsula in the village of Lenno, the Villa del Balbianello offers amazing panoramic views of the lake. It was built by Cardinal Angelo Durini at the end of the 18th century on the ruins of a Franciscan convent. The Villa was renovated by the American general Butler Amos and given to the Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano (FAI) in 1988. In the 1800s it was a refuge for exiles, and in the 1970s it was owned by the Italian explorer and alpinist Guido Monzino. His collection of artifacts from the North Pole, Mount Everest and beyond, is displayed in the villa along with African and pre-Columbian art.

To book a visit, go to https://ticket.fondoambiente.it/events/villa-del-balbianello/villa-del-balbianello

Villa d’Este

Situated in Cernobbio on the banks of Lake Como, Villa d’Este is surrounded by a 25-acres marvelous private park. Built in 1568 as the summer residence of Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio and designed by the architect Pellegrino Pellegrini, known as Tibaldi, the villa remained in the hands of the family for over two centuries. Subsequently, it became the property of various illustrious owners until 1873 when it was transformed into a luxury hotel and became a favored destination of the great European aristocracy and an essential stop-over on the Grand Tour. Nowadays Villa d’Este is a destination rather than a Hotel, a charming place, famous worldwide. The park and villa have been classified as a National Monument since 1913. The famous nymphaeum, dating back to 1568, is decorated with polychrome pebble mosaics, which have the spectacular grandiosity of Roman baroque. This serves as the entrance and base to the double water chain which runs along the avenue to the statue of Hercules and Lichas. In 1815 Princess Caroline of Brunswick, the owner of the villa at that time, added typically English elements to the park: little paths, avenues and bridges as well as the neoclassical Temple of Telemachus. Countess Peluso made an important landscape intervention in the upper garden, east of the Cypress Avenue, a complex of walls and mock fortresses, still existent. The lower garden consists of vast lawns bordered by clipped boxwoods, while near the Queen’s Pavilion and the Mosaic monumental plane trees flourish. The avenue alongside the water chain is edged with ancient cypresses, topiary designed bay trees and magnolias.

Free admission for garden visits is available on the first Sunday of the month, April 25 (Liberation Day), June 2nd (Republic Day), and November 4th (National Unity Day and Armed Forces Day).

Otherwise, go to https://www.italy-museum.com/de/rom/villa-este-

Last but not least, Villa Serbelloni. (not to be confused with the magnificent Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, which is located on the lakeshore. For more informations, visit https://www.villaserbelloni.com)

Today, the 15th-century Villa Serbelloni is home to the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, which hosts scholars for conferences and residencies with a mission to “promote wellbeing of humanity around the world”. Located on the steep promontory which separates the two branches of Lake Como, the stunning villa played host to Europe’s great and good, including Austria’s emperor Maximilian I, Ludovico il Moro, Leonardo da Vinci, Queen Victoria and other illustrous guests long before the Rockefeller Foundation arrived.

Unfortunately, the interior is closed to the public, but you can explore the lavish terraced gardens by guided tours. From the leafy, labyrinthine wonderland, crossed by a charming maze of paths and alleys surrounded by native and exotic vegetation, statues and artists cottages, you can enjoy a magnificent view of Bellagio and the Prealps.

For more informations, go to https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/report/bellagio-center-villa-serbelloni-a-brief-history/