The villa of the films on the tip of Lavedo
On the wooded tip of the Lavedo promontory, which juts into Lake Como near Lenno, in the municipality of Tremezzina, Villa del Balbianello is one of the most romantic and photographed villas in Italy. It was built at the end of the eighteenth century by Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini on the site of a Franciscan monastery, of which the two bell towers remain, and belongs today to the FAI, the Italian National Trust, which received it in 1988 from its last owner, the explorer Guido Monzino.
The villa is surrounded by terraced gardens descending to the water, with clipped plane trees, ivy, wisteria, magnolias and azaleas, and a three-arched loggia offering views over both sides of the lake. Inside, the rooms contain Monzino's collections of eighteenth century furniture, Chinese and African art and the mementos of his expeditions, including the first Italian expedition to Everest in 1973. The villa has been the setting of many films, including Casino Royale with Daniel Craig and Star Wars: Episode II, in which Anakin and Padmé marry here.
Tip: the most beautiful way to arrive is by water taxi from Lenno; on foot it is a walk of about a kilometre. Book visits to the interior in advance.
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