Eight Centuries Of History - Villa Monastero

The Villa started as an ancient Cistercian woman’s monastery, which was built in the 12th century. The transformation in 1569 started with the Mornico family from Valassina, who owned the property for more than three centuries, and called it Villa Leliana. In 1862, the house was sold to Pietro Genazzini of Bellagio, but in 1869 he had to sell it due to financial issues and is then purchased by Carolina Maumari that same year. Walter Kees was the next owner and responsible the the current eclectic look of the house. The De Marchi family purchased the estate in 1925, and then donated it as a public property and museum in 1939.

Here is what caught my eye, I hope you enjoy!

This is looking from the elegant gardens out to Lake Como.

The classical architectural folly

The entrance hall

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Flammarion

The Villa seen in the distance on the lake shore

The main entrance into the villa property

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In 1940, the garden was made accessible to the public and a conference center was built. The following are images of the extensive lakefront gardens.

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Statues and architecture in the gardens

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The Kees family created this main staircase in the villa to imitate the staircase of the Leipzig library.

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The Red Room

The Black Room

The South-east Room

The drawing room

Council Chamber

Music room

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Master bedroom

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The realistic-looking Trompe-l’oeil ceiling in the master bedroom

This unusual room, also known as King Faruk’s bath was commissioned by the Kees family.

One of the Bohemian glass pieces on display

The second floor stair hall

The decoration over the stairwell entrance

More of the gardens

The Villa is an important international conference center and hosts summer courses for the Enrico Fermi International School of Physics. It is world-renowned thanks to the lectures delivered by Nobel Laureate Enrico Fermi in 1954.

What you should know:

• There are walking trails all through the gardens.

• Public restrooms are available.

• One price ticket includes self-guided house and garden tours.

• Tickets can be bought on-line or in-person.

• Check the website for special events and days / hours of operation.

• People are friendly and helpful, and many speak English.

Location: Viale Giovanni Polvani, 4, 23829 Varenna LC, Italy

For more information: Villa Monastero