Villa Como

Villa Como is an exceptional historical Palazzo, the perfect venue for holiday and all kind of events. The Villa was built by Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio at the end of the 16th century, after the drawings of Pellegrino Tibaldi, and was enlarged and embellished by Cardinal Durini in the 18th century.

In 1637, Marco Gallio, changed the layout of the grounds in order to obtain enough space to create the Italian garden. In 1787, the property was sold to Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini, papal nuncio, a lover of Arts and letters, patron and collector. He made the Villa an authentic place of delight by enlarging the House and garden, erecting statues and fountains, and opening new avenues between hedges and pergolas.

The facade, with simple and sober lines, punctuated by gray stone ornamental carvings, is directly reflected in the water of Lake Como. All around stand statues and fountains. From the Strada Regina, a nymph flowered of blue iris leads to the path to the main house, lined with box hedges, where plane trees and cypresses grow.

In the late 18th century the Villa hosted a gallant and frivolous society where festivals, banquets and Dances followed one another relentlessly. The lounges housed recitation meetings, concerts or literary discussions. Inside, the spectacular baroque frescoes by the Recchi brothers in the early17th century can still be seen. In the lobby, Cardinal Durini installed its rich library, known to all scholars of the time. Nearby, where the river empties into Perlana’s lake, the pipe works commissioned by Durini to stem the flow of water can still be admired.