Villa Oleandra in Laglio: Clooney's Lake Como villa from the water
Villa Oleandra isn't open to visitors, so the lake is the place to see it. How to see it well by boat, when to go and what else is around Laglio.
Villa Oleandra is Clooney's Lake Como villa, in the village of Laglio on the western shore of the Como branch. It's a private home and can't be visited, which leaves one good way to see it: from the lake, by boat. I pass it often in my Venetian water taxi, so here's how to take it in properly without bothering anyone.
Seeing Clooney's Lake Como villa by boat
Heading north from Como, Laglio comes after Cernobbio and Moltrasio, on your left. The lake narrows here and the houses run right down to the water, one after another, boathouses below and terraced gardens behind.
You'll recognise Villa Oleandra by its neoclassical front on the shore and the garden that joins it to Villa Margherita next door. There's no going ashore: it's private property and closed to the public. On the water taxi we slow down, keep a respectful distance and stay as long as you need to look and take a few photos.
From the water you notice something the road hides. These villas were built to face the lake, not the road behind them. The front that matters is the one you see from the boat.
History of Villa Oleandra
According to the villa's official website, traces of the building already appear in the 1720 land register. In 1834 the Stoppani family took it over and turned it into a restrained neoclassical palazzo in the manner of the Milanese architect Gaetano Besia.
It changed hands several times and ended up with the Heinz family, of ketchup fame. In 2002 George Clooney bought it, later adding Villa Margherita next door. Since then, for most people, it has simply been the Clooney villa.
Laglio itself is far older. In Roman times the Via Regina ran through here, the road that followed the shore north towards Chiavenna.
What to see in Laglio and around the villa
- 01Villa Oleandra and Villa Margherita
Two residences side by side on the shore. The garden linking them, the official site says, has an English lawn, a pool and a cast-iron bridge between the houses. From the lake you get a clear sense of how they sit together.
- 02Frank's Pyramid
Laglio's cemetery holds a pyramid about twenty metres tall: the tomb of the physician Giuseppe Frank, built in 1851 after the Pyramid of Cestius in Rome. Not what you expect on Lake Como.
- 03Church of San Giorgio
The parish church went up between 1619 and 1630 on the foundations of an older Romanesque church, with 18th-century stucco work inside.
- 04Torriggia and the Via Regina
In the hamlet of Torriggia the lake gets narrow and stretches of the old Via Regina survive. There was a steamer landing here too, built in 1880 and closed in 1981.
Best time to see Villa Oleandra
Because you see the villa from the lake, it works all year. My favourite months are April, May and June, when the shoreline gardens are at their fullest, and then September and October, with less traffic on the water and softer light.
- mid-morningMorning
Laglio's shore faces east, so the morning sun lands right on the facades. That's when photos come out clean.
- around middayMidday
High light and more boats about. Fine for a quick pass as part of a longer trip.
- late afternoonAfternoon
The mountains behind the village throw the shore into shade early. The facades go flat, but the backlit lake has a charm of its own.
Places near Villa Oleandra
Laglio fits nicely into a loop of the lower lake. To the south are Moltrasio and Cernobbio with Villa d'Este. On the opposite shore you'll find Torno and Villa Pliniana, and further up Nesso and its gorge. With a full day, you can carry on to Bellagio.
Lake Como boat tours past Villa Oleandra
Villa Oleandra is a regular stop on the Grand Tour, our shortest trip along the western shore past Cernobbio and Moltrasio, and on the Classic Lake Tour, which carries on to Torno and the Nesso waterfall. If you want the whole day, we build it into the Full Day Dolce Far Niente. Check current times and availability on the site when you book.