Il lago
Two winds, three branches, one villa
Lake Como is shaped like an upside-down Y: three branches meeting at Bellagio, steep mountains on every side and villages often easier to reach by water than by road.
Tivano & Breva
The lake keeps time by its winds
Like most large Alpine lakes, Lake Como has thermal winds that turn with the sun. Sailors, fishermen and ferry captains have always planned their day around them.
Around the villa
From the dock
Villas and gardens
Several historic lakeside villas open their gardens in season — among them Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, Villa del Balbianello in Lenno and the gardens of Villa Melzi in Bellagio. The best way to reach them is by water.
By boat
Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio are a short crossing away. Take the villa’s runabout with its skipper, or the public ferries that call at every village.
Paths above the water
Old mule tracks climb through chestnut woods to hamlets and chapels. On the west shore, the Greenway del Lago di Como links villages along some ten kilometres of lanes and paths.
La tavola
The cuisine of the lake
The cooking of Lake Como is that of fishermen and mountain valleys. The villa’s cook works with what the season and the market bring.
- Risotto con pesce persicoPerch fillets browned in butter and sage, laid on a plain risotto — the classic dish of the lake.
- MissoltiniShad salted and dried in the sun, then grilled: an old lake preserve, served with polenta.
- Polenta and valley cheesesFrom the Valtellina and the Valsassina, just north and east: Bitto, Valtellina Casera, Taleggio.
- Valtellina winesNebbiolo grown on steep terraces an hour to the north: Sassella, Grumello, Inferno, Sforzato.
Getting here
Getting here
Approximate driving times to the villa, outside rush hour. The concierge can book a private driver, or a boat from Como for the last stretch.
- Milan Malpensa airport≈ 1 h 30
- Milan Linate airport≈ 1 h 30
- Bergamo Orio al Serio airport≈ 1 h 45
- Lugano, Switzerland≈ 1 h
- Como, town and station≈ 40 min
Check availability
When would you like to come?
Your dates are carried over to the request form. Nothing is booked until the concierge confirms.