THE SHORES OF LAKE COMO ARE OVERLOOKED BY NUMEROUS ELEGANT HISTORIC VILLAS, TRUE ARCHITECTURAL MASTERPIECES DATING FROM THE 1500S-1900S. NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE PICTURESQUE ATMOSPHERE OF THE ARISTOCRATIC MANSIONS AND THEIR LUSH GARDENS DOES NOT ESCAPE THE WORLD OF ADVERTISING AND CINEMA, WHICH OFTEN CHOOSES THEM AS EXCLUSIVE LOCATIONS.
The historic villas of Lake Como
Hotel Lago
VILLA DEL BALBIANELLO
Built in 1787, the splendid Villa del Balbianello stands on the tip of the peninsula of Lavedo, a promontory in the municipality of Tremezzina, which juts into the Lake's Larian branch and derives its name "Balbianello."
At the end of the 18th century, it was Cardinal Durini, a man of letters and patron of the arts, who elected this splendid lakeside corner as a retreat of delight and literary recreation. In 1974, the Villa passed into the ownership of Guido Monzino, an entrepreneur, collector and passionate traveler, who began to store the memories of his adventurous life in its rooms. By his will, since 1988, FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano) has been managing and preserving the spirit of beauty and wonder of the Villa and its amazing garden, admired worldwide, including by Hollywood directors who have set famous sagas there, from Star Wars to 007.
VILLA MELZI D’ERIL
AND ITS GARDENS
Villa Melzi d'Eril is a private historic mansion located in the town of Bellagio. It belongs to the Melzi d'Eril family, which commissioned Ticino architect Giocondo Albertolli to build it in 1808. Over the years, the Villa has offered stays to many Grand Tour authors: from Mary Shelley to Mark Twain. In their writings, they all paid homage to the magnificent park and the tranquility offered by the lake.
VILLA CARLOTTA
Neoclassical style characterizes the splendid Villa Carlotta, located in the municipality of Tremezzina, where, at the behest of Marquis Giorgio II Clerici, it was built beginning in 1690. In 1801, the property passed to Gian Battista Sommariva, who enriched the interiors with works from his collection, making the Villa known throughout Europe even to the likes of Stendhal and Flaubert. Even today, more than three hundred years of prestigious collecting are preserved in the halls of Villa Carlotta, allowing a dialogue between art and nature in a fascinating landscape setting. Equal care is taken in maintaining the vast garden that surrounds it, full of lush species of flowers and plants that, in summer, give color to the shores of the Lake.
MONASTERY VILLA
Villa Monastero stands in Varenna, a small pearl reflected in the clear waters of Lake Como, in the province of Lecco. Formerly a women's monastery, it was transformed into a villa, passing through the hands of different owners until it was donated to the state in 1939. Today, it hosts cultural and scientific conferences, such as the summer courses of the prestigious Italian School of Physics. In 2003, the House Museum found completion, where original decorations and furniture can be admired. To crown the Villa, we encounter the enchanting Botanical Garden, custodian of rare and exotic botanical species, which grow luxuriantly here, favored by the mild lake climate.
VILLA OLMO
Built in the 18th century, Villa Olmo ranks among the most celebrated and sumptuous of Como's historic mansions and reflects the custom of ancient noble families to own a suburban residence. Surrounded by a large Italianate garden, it is part of the 19th-century coastal route along with the lakeside villas from Borgovico to Villa d'Este in Cernobbio. According to an undocumented tradition, iIts name derives from the pre-existence in the area of two distinct specimens of elm, very ancient and majestic. Built in the neoclassical style between 1782 and 1787 by the Ticino architect Simone Cantoni, it was given to the Municipality of Como in 1925, and two years later, on the first centenary of Alessandro Volta's death, it was the site of the International Volta Exhibition. Since then, the Villa has hosted prestigious exhibitions, events and conferences. With an extension of about five hectares, for the city of Como, and not only, its park is the main one: the public accesses it from two side porticos.
VEZIO CASTLE
The multimillennial castle stands at the center of Lake Como, on the promontory overlooking Varenna. Inhabited since the Iron Age because of its strategic location, it is attested as an ancient military outpost of early medieval origin, erected by the Lombard queen Teodolinda to defend the lake and surrounding villages. The castle was connected to the village of Varenna by two long arms of walls. Today, the garden hosts periodic art exhibitions and, inside the tower, a permanent exhibit on Lariosaurus, a prehistoric marine reptile that first came to light a few hundred meters from the castle. The dungeons, garden statues and birds of prey at the falconry center are additional attractions in a setting of unparalleled natural beauty.
