Villa del Balbianello Lake Como: what to see and how to arrive by boat
The FAI villa on the tip of the Lavedo peninsula in Lenno, seen by the captain of Lario Water Taxi: the arrival from the water, the Durini Loggia, Guido Monzino's museum and when to go.
Villa del Balbianello sits on the very tip of the Lavedo peninsula at Lenno, on the western shore of Lake Como. You can't drive there. You either walk up from Lenno or you come in from the lake. I pass it often in my Venetian water taxi, and to me the lake is still the right way in.
Villa del Balbianello from the water
From the middle of the lake the Lavedo headland looks like nothing more than a wooded tongue of land. Then, as you get closer, pale walls and terraces appear between the trees, with the arches of the loggia right at the top. I slow right down as we round the point, because the villa looks different every few metres: on one side the bay of Tremezzina, on the other the stretch of water towards Isola Comacina.
There's a landing stage below the villa, with toilets right next to it. FAI, the Italian National Trust that runs the place, allows access by any private taxi boat, as long as visitors arrange it themselves. In practice you step off the boat and you're already inside the grounds, with no uphill walk.
How to get to Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como
By boat: a water taxi drops you at the villa's own landing stage. FAI also mentions a paid, book-ahead taxi boat service from the Lido di Lenno. On foot: from Lenno it's one kilometre uphill, partly on gravel, about 25 minutes; or a 2.5 km trail across the headland, about 45 minutes. Not suitable for pushchairs or anyone who struggles with walking. By car: park in Lenno and continue on foot or by boat.
History of Villa del Balbianello
A Franciscan convent stood here from the 13th century. In the late 1700s the Milanese cardinal Angelo Maria Durini turned it into a retreat for study and leisure, and had the panoramic loggia built. It's the same loggia you see from the lake today.
In the 19th century the villa belonged to families of the Risorgimento, the Porro Lambertenghi and the Arconati Visconti, then to the patron Marie Peyrat and the American general Butler Ames. In 1974 it was bought by Guido Monzino, businessman, explorer and the first Italian to stand on top of Everest. When he died in 1988 he left it to FAI, which has looked after it and opened it to the public ever since.
Villa del Balbianello in film: Star Wars and James Bond
It has also become a film set: scenes from Star Wars: Episode II and Casino Royale, the 2006 James Bond film, were shot here. Plenty of people look it up for that reason, and I can see why.
What to see at Villa del Balbianello
- 01The Durini Loggia
The heart of the place: an arched structure covered in creeping fig, with a compass rose inlaid in the floor. On either side are the Music Room and the Library, with Monzino's books on mountaineering and geography.
- 02The gardens
Statue-lined paths, terraces over the lake, flowers, and the gardeners' bold topiary. The best known is the great holm oak clipped into an umbrella.
- 03The Expedition Museum
Up in the attic: flags, photographs, ethnographic finds, the sledge from the 1971 North Pole expedition and the largest collection of Inuit ivories outside Greenland.
- 04The interiors
18th-century French furniture, non-European art, silver, ceramics, paintings on glass and Beauvais tapestries. You can only see them on the guided tour, about 50 minutes, in Italian or English.
When to visit Villa del Balbianello
The villa opens regularly from mid-March through autumn, with only selected days between December and February. Booking is compulsory, and the gardens-only ticket is separate from the one that includes the interiors. Opening times, days and prices change from season to season, so always check the FAI website before you set off.
If I get to choose, I bring guests in spring or in September and October. It's quieter than high summer, the air is clearer, and from the lake the mountains behind stand out sharply.
Near Villa del Balbianello
A few minutes north by boat is Tremezzo, with Villa Carlotta just past it. To the south, right around the point, lies Isola Comacina. Across the lake, a short crossing away, is Bellagio. On the Classic Lake Tour we put the villa, Isola Comacina and the view of Bellagio from the water into one trip.
Large Tour
The Large Tour passes below the loggia of Villa del Balbianello, goes past Isola Comacina and takes in Bellagio from the water, with one stop included. If you'd like to see the villa like that, from the lake, this is where we start.