Villa Cipressi, Lake Como: the Varenna garden seen from the boat
Cypress-lined terraces dropping to the water, agaves planted in the 1800s and a façade that looks straight at Bellagio. Villa Cipressi as I see it from the helm of a Venetian water taxi.
Villa Cipressi, Lake Como's terraced garden in Varenna, is one of those places that make the most sense from the water. Its terraces step down to the shore one after another, framed by the cypresses that gave the place its name, and for centuries the lake was its front door. When you pass it by boat, it pays to slow down and take it in.
Villa Cipressi, Lake Como: what you see arriving by boat
Coming over from Bellagio, right across the water, Varenna shows up as a row of coloured houses pressed against the mountain. You pick out Villa Cipressi by its pale lakefront façade and the dark lines of cypress trees cutting through the green. From a boat you can read the whole layout: a staircase of terraces rising from the shore up to the buildings.
That is no accident: people once reached the villa from the lake, not from the road. Gliding in on a water taxi with the engine just ticking over is the most faithful way to see it the way its owners did.
How to get to Villa Cipressi by boat
You land in Varenna and walk to the entrance on Via IV Novembre. The village is also served by public boats and the car ferry to Bellagio, Menaggio and Cadenabbia, and Varenna-Esino station sits on the Milan-Lecco-Tirano railway line. On our Venetian water taxi, though, you choose the time and the route: the Classic Lake Tour starts right in Varenna and passes in front of Villa Cipressi. If you want to go ashore for the garden, tell us when you book and we will plan the stop.
A short history of Villa Cipressi
The estate is a cluster of buildings and gardens reshaped between the 15th and 19th centuries. The earliest records point to the Serponti family, who gave it its late Renaissance look. In the early 1800s Baron Isimbardi, director of the Milan Mint, set up a Mint workshop here. Later Enrico Andreossi remodelled the lake façade in neoclassical style and expanded the park.
In the 20th century the villa passed through English owners and then the Accame family. In 1980 the people of Varenna bought it through a voluntary public subscription so it would stay in public use. Today it belongs to the Municipality of Varenna and other public bodies, runs as a hotel managed by R Collection Hotels, and is also the town's official venue for civil weddings.
What to see at Villa Cipressi
- 01The terraces down to the lake
Steps and terraces running right to the water, lined with cypresses. It is the pattern you already see from the boat, and once inside you realise how steep it is.
- 02Agaves from the 1800s
The mild climate lets unusual species grow this far north. Some of the agaves date back to the mid 19th century, and there is a whole collection of the agave family.
- 03Monterey cypresses
Next to the classic Italian cypresses grow rare specimens of Cupressus macrocarpa, the Monterey cypress from California.
- 04The wisteria pergola
In spring it shades a resting spot with a view of the lake. A good place to sit for a while.
- 05The botanical trail
A marked path through strawberry trees, myrtle, tamarisk, palms and standard oleanders. The flowers change with the seasons: camellias and azaleas first, then gardenias, hydrangeas and roses.
When to visit Villa Cipressi: garden opening season
The garden is usually open to the public from April to September. My favourite months are April and May, with the wisteria and the first blooms, and September, when the light drops lower and the lake gets quieter. Opening times, prices and days change, so always check the official website before you set off.
From the water, on the other hand, the villa is worth a look all year. Even in winter, with the garden closed, the cypresses stay green and the outline of the terraces is easy to see.
Places near Villa Cipressi
In the same village you have Villa Monastero, with its house museum and botanical garden. Up on the headland above Varenna stands Castello di Vezio. A little further south is Fiumelatte, a stream about 250 metres long that Leonardo da Vinci wrote about. And straight across, a few minutes by boat, is Bellagio.
