Villa del Balbianello

Among the properties of the Italian Environment Fund (FAI), Villa del Balbianello is certainly one of the most renowned and visited. Located in Lenno, on the extreme point of Dosso di Lavedo, a wooded promontory that plunges into the deep waters of Lake Como, forming a small peninsula, the building is a hymn to the Romanticism. Just look in any direction to be breathless: from the large park full of fascinating views and embellished with flowering plants to the avenues flanked by statues up to the panoramic terraces that culminate in the eighteenth-century Loggia that crowns the entire complex. From here the view is wonderful and the columns that enclose it, with their picturesque evergreen Ficus repens wrapped all around, further enhance the dreamlike atmosphere. The luxuriant nature is not the only interesting aspect that gives the villa.

The dwelling hides its history in the details. For example, the plan, articulated and developed on six floors, still preserves the façade with the two bell towers of the ancient church belonging to the pre-existing Franciscan monastery on which in the eighteenth century it was built at the behest of Cardinal Durini. If the exterior of the structure, probably designed by the architect Pellegrino Pellegrini, unveils the origins of the villa, its interiors tell the adventurous life of its most famous owner: Guido Monzino. The man, a passionate explorer and mountaineer, author of 21 expeditions around the world, was among the first Italians to climb to the summit of Everest in 1973. Wander through the many rooms of the ancient building, observing the shelves and shelves full of objects and memorabilia remembrance of distant and fascinating populations like Masai, Tibetan, Berber, Inuit means participating in the many adventures of Monzino. Among the pieces held, the most prestigious is the sled protagonist of the 1971 expedition to the North Pole, positioned next to the equipment used during the Italian conquest of Everest and the medal of Grand Officer of the Crusader Knights received for his courageous exploits. Past and present merge into a single which continues to attract millions of visitors every year. To make it famous in the world, however, are not the explorer's trips or the architecture of the villa, but the cinema that, fascinated by its suggestive position overlooking the waters of the center of Lake Como, has chosen it as a set of important films like Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and James Bond: Casino Royale.

If you want to get in the same atmosphere as Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, you can visit Villa del Balbianelloda on Friday, March 15, 2019, Monday, January 6, 2020.