CRUISE WITH VIEWS

Since ancient Roman times Lake Como has beckoned illustrious visitors to its shores, drawn here by the cool mountain breeze, peaceful atmosphere and unparalleled panoramic views. Still today, after 2,000 years, members of the jet set flock to Lake Como for pretty much the same reasons, thus contributing to the site’s enduring reputation as a glamorous holiday destination.

Meet your guide at your accommodation in Como or Cernobbio and together reach the dock. Here your skipper will be waiting ready to lead you on a magical ride through this watery wonderland. Hop aboard your private boat and let the adventure begin! Here natural beauty, botanical rarities, art treasures and architectural marvels merge perfectly, creating one of Italy’s finest landscapes. Poet Percy Shelley navigated these waters, enjoying the very same sights you admire today, as he cruised from Como to Tremezzina: “The union of culture and the untameable profusion and loveliness of nature is here so close that the line where they are divided can hardly be discovered”, he noted in a letter dated 1818. Against a backdrop of majestic snow-covered peaks, historic mansions, pastel-hued towns and upscale resorts blend in with lush Mediterranean foliage and expertly tended gardens bursting with roses and wisteria. You will sail by Villa d’Este, once a Renaissance residence and today a luxurious hotel, glimpse views of the privately owned exclusive Villa Oleandra and Villa La Cassinella, glide past the tiny Comacina Island and dock at Villa del Balbianello.

Perched on the tip of a peninsula jutting out over the lake, this is one of the area’s most stunning estates. Built in 1787 at the request of pleasure-seeking Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini, on the site of an earlier 13th century Franciscan monastery, today the premises host magnificent terraced gardens and a house museum dedicated to the villa’s last owner, Count Guido Monzino. Collector, entrepreneur, insatiable traveller and also the first Italian ever to climb Mount Everest, Count Monzino bequeathed the villa to the Italian National Trust so that memories of his thrilling adventures could live on for posterity. Here you may enjoy a 1-hour guided tour of the mansion – which is exactly how the owner left it on his death in 1988 – led by an official guide from the museum. On display are 18th and 19th century furniture, French boiseries, Beauvais tapestries and oriental carpets as well as maps, books, collections of prehistoric artefacts and relics of Count Monzino’s travels, including a dog sleigh from his 1971 expedition to the North Pole. The gardens surrounding the villa are a true masterpiece of landscaping and design. Follow the paths that meander across carefully manicured lawns, bordered with hedges of laurel, magnolias and cypress trees, leading to the lakefront loggia where one of the most marvellous views awaits guests.

Following the visit a short ride by taxi boat will bring you to Bellagio, the celebrated “pearl of the lake”. Enjoy some free time for lunch, before stepping into the ravishing gardens of Villa Melzi. First built as the summer residence of politician Francesco Melzi d’Eril, ally of Napoleon and vice president of the Italian Republic from 1802 to 1805, the Neoclassical-style villa is owned today by a local aristocratic family. Although the interior is not accessible to the public, guests may take a scenic walk through the grounds designed by architect Luigi Canonica and agronomist Luigi Villoresi in the early 1800s. Once a favourite picnic spot of the composer Franz Lizst, perhaps he had this very oasis in mind when he gave the following tip to the author Louis de Ronchaud in 1837: “When you write the story of two happy lovers, place them on the shores of Lake Como. I do not know of any land so conspicuously blessed by heaven”. Here you may amble along winding paths, flanked by statues, flower beds and centuries-old trees, admire a range of exotic plants such as Ginkgo Biloba, Bamboo and Japanese maples, feast your eyes on colourful camellias and azaleas and saunter around the oriental-style pond.

Next, follow your guide up steep stone steps lined with pastel-hued houses, cosy cafes and flowering balconies to the heart of the old town. After an introduction to the history of Bellagio and its major landmarks, you may take some free time to browse around boutiques and craft shops.

In the afternoon your chauffeur will pick you up in Bellagio and drive you back to your accommodation in Como or Cernobbio.