LIVING LAKESIDE

Since ancient Roman times, when wealthy holiday-makers began to retreat here to escape the summer heat and first built sumptuous villas on its shores, Lake Como has achieved an indisputable reputation as a fashionable tourist destination. Indeed after some 2,000 years this watery wonderland keeps luring visitors with an unrivalled mix of architectural marvels, artistic treasures and spectacular landscapes.

Soak up the beauties of Lake Como on this full-day excursion from Milan. Your private chauffeur will meet you outside your accommodation and drive you to the charming town of Varenna. Here your guide will be waiting ready to lead you on an unforgettable exploration of two summer resorts and two historic residences.

Your day begins with a visit to Villa Monastero. Originally built as a medieval Cistercian convent, in an ideal location for spiritual contemplation, the premises were transformed into a private mansion in the 1600s. Today the villa hosts a fascinating house museum, displaying original period furnishings and artworks collected throughout the centuries by its different owners. Favourable microclimatic conditions allow a wide range of exotic plants and arboreal rarities to thrive in the splendid gardens that border the lake, together with Mediterranean shrubs, citrus trees and flowers. American palms and agaves, a Montezuma pine, a Himalayan cedar, Chinese wisteria and English roses can be found in this treasure trove of botanical wonders, punctuated by statues, fountains, a loggia and a tempietto.

A leisurely stroll through the town centre will follow. You will weave your way up steep stone stairways lined with pastel-hued houses and flowering balconies, step inside the 14th century Church of San Giorgio to see its precious frescoes, and take in stunning views by the waterfront promenade, romantically named passeggiata degli innamorati – lover’s walk.

Later, hop aboard a taxi boat and sail to nearby Bellagio, the celebrated “pearl of the lake”, to enjoy some free time for lunch followed by a pleasant walk through town to discover its major landmarks.

The last stop on your tour will bring you to Villa del Balbianello, located on the opposite shore of Lake Como. 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.

After the tour your private chauffeur will be waiting in the nearby town of Lenno ready to drive you back to your accommodation in Milan.