Good Food and Views are Worth the Journey
Lake Como is dotted with grand villas and for a few of them, the gardens probably exceed the beauty of the villas themselves. Two of the best known gardens are Bellagio's Villa Melzi and across the lake, near Tremezzo, is that of Villa Carlotta. Since we were staying in Bellagio, we spent a lazy late afternoon strolling the garden of the Villa Melzi.
The villa has been in the same family since it was built in 1810 for Francesco Melzi d'Eril. While the villa itself is closed to the...
The Italian lakes are famous for their villas and probably none is more recognised than Lake Como's Villa del Balbianello. The villa has held its own in scenes from the Bond movie Casino Royale as well as in Star Wars, where a young Anakin Skywalker romanced Padme. I was even more impressed on my visit here because the story behind the house and its rooms are in themselves remarkable.
Built in 1787 on what used to be a monastery by the Cardinal Durini, the villa had passed from the...