Classic Villas

On the Italian shore of Lake Lugano, more precisely in Oria, is the summer residence of the writer Antonio Fogazzaro. The villa still has the furnishings of the time and offers in the Alcova room a reconstruction of the writer's study, which includes his original desk, to which he completed some of his masterpieces: Piccolo Mondo Antico, Piccolo Mondo Moderna and Il holy. The complex consists of several buildings built around an original structure dating back to the sixteenth century. Its rooms, to be visited calmly, in the atmosphere almost suspended in time that characterizes the residence, present ancient photographs, curious heirlooms and family memories, which allow you to get in touch with the lifestyle of a bourgeois family at the turn of the Nineteenth century.

Villa Del Balbianello stands at the far end of the penisula Lavedo in the hamlet of Lenno. Cardinal Angelo Durini had it built in 1787, incorporating an ancient monastery. The complex is formed by two square constructions and a loggia with a wonderful  view of the Mid Lake area spanning from Bellagio to Comacina Island. Unsurprisingly, the villa has been chosen many times as  film set; the most famous films shot her include "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" and "Casino Royal". The Villa has a delighful landing stage from where a flight of steps leads up to the garden. On the upper floor of the residence, accessible thanks to a guided visit that must be booked when purchasing a ticket, there is an unusual art museum

Villa Carlotta is situated in the hamlet of  Tremezzo. It was built at the end of XVII century by the Milanese marquis Giorgio Clerici in a natural basin between lake and mountains. The architect created an important but sober building, with an Italian garden decorated with sculptures, stairs and fountains. The villa became a temple of XIX century art with works of Canova, Thorvaldsen and Hayez and part of the park was transformed in a fascinating romantic garden. The gardens of Villa Carlotta chiefly owe their reputation to the rhododendrons’ and azaleas’ spring flowering, consisting of over 150 different sorts, but the gardens are worth to visit in every period of the year.

The Gardens of Villa Melzi d’Eril, among the most beautiful of Europe, rise along the shores of Lake Como near Bellagio, harmoniously inserted into the hilly landscape between the two branches of the lake.

 Inside the Gardens stand the Villa, the Chapel and the Orange Greenhouse (or Orangérie), now a Museum of great historical relevance. The Gardens of Villa Melzi d’Eril are a splendid expression of the Neoclassical style, and have been declared a national monument. Built in the early 1800s with the contribution of distinguished artists, craftsmen, decorators and architects, it has always been a site of rare beauty, of inspiration for writers, artists and poets, a place that people who come to admire the perfect balance between plants, history and landscape fall in love with.

Villa Camozzi at Grandola d Uniti looks like a traditional 18-century residence with a square lay-out, a central atrium and rooms on three sides. It is currently the seat of the town hall and the Ethnographic and Naturalistic Museum of the Val Sanagra, which houses some of the valley's historical and natural artefacts. It has rooms dedicated to palaeontology, ancient crafts and the former Menaggio - Porlezza railway, as well as dioramas representing the natural habitats, flora and fauna of this vast territory.   From May to September, it is possible to visit a nearby pottery kiln according to the same opening times as the museum.