Villa Serbelloni Lake Como: the Bellagio gardens seen from the water
The wooded hill where Lake Como splits in two. How to get there by boat, how the guided garden tour works and when to go, told by the captain.
From the water you never quite see all of Villa Serbelloni on Lake Como, and I think that is part of its charm. What you see is the wooded hill at the tip of Bellagio, right where the lake splits into the Como and Lecco branches. Up there is the villa's park, around 21 hectares, and the only way in is on a guided tour.
Villa Serbelloni from the lake
Coming up from the south in our Venetian water taxi, the point of Bellagio is the first thing that reaches out towards the boat. In front, the tight cluster of village roofs. Behind them, a hill that is green all the way up. That hill is the Villa Serbelloni park, and it covers almost the whole headland.
The villa itself sits on the inner ridge, sheltered from the winds off the lake, so from the boat you sense it among the trees more than you see it. My favourite moment is rounding the point: the other branch opens up, the light shifts, and guests turn forward, then back, because suddenly there are two different lakes around them.
How to get to Villa Serbelloni on Lake Como by boat
You land in the centre of Bellagio, which is served by Navigazione Laghi ferries and by private water taxis. From the lakefront you walk up through the village lanes to Piazza della Chiesa. The tour meets at the Bellagio Lake Como office, inside the medieval tower.
One thing I often explain on board: the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni on the waterfront shares the name, but it is a different building. The historic villa and its park are up on the hill.
Villa Serbelloni history in brief
Tradition has it that Pliny the Younger owned one of his villas on this headland, the one he called Tragoedia. The first residence was built in the late fifteenth century for Marchesino Stanga, the local feudal lord. In 1788 the estate passed to Count Alessandro Serbelloni, who gave it its name and, above all, its park: carriage roads, avenues and footpaths adding up to around 18 kilometres.
By the end of the nineteenth century the villa had become a hotel. Later it was bought by the American Ella Walker, Princess Della Torre e Tasso, who made it her home again and in 1959 gave it to the Rockefeller Foundation. Today it hosts the Foundation's conferences and study residencies, and the Foundation allows the Comune di Bellagio to run the garden tours, with the proceeds going to local social and cultural projects.
What to see at Villa Serbelloni
- 01The park on the headland
Around 21 hectares of dense woodland, terraces and statue-lined paths. In places it feels like a proper forest rather than a garden.
- 02Both branches of the lake
Where the trees thin out you look down on the Como and Lecco branches and the mountains around them. The view we get from the boat, only from above.
- 03The climb
The tour lasts about two hours and the first hour is uphill. You earn the view one step at a time.
- 04The guide's story
The guide takes you through the history of the park and the villa from the beginning to today. The tour covers the park: the villa is the Foundation's centre and you see it from outside.
Visiting Villa Serbelloni: when to go and how to book
Guided tours of the park run in a season that starts in spring and is announced each year by the Comune. Groups are capped at 30 people, tours are in Italian and English, and you book online through the Bellagio Lake Como website. Dates, times and prices change, so always check the official site before you set off.
My favourite months are May, June and September. The climb is pleasant, the light on the water is soft, and the boat ride back is not a heat test. In high summer, go for the morning tour.
Places near Villa Serbelloni
Walk down from the hill and you are back in the centre of Bellagio. Along the lakefront towards Como are the gardens of Villa Melzi. Straight across, on the eastern shore, lies Varenna, while Villa Carlotta is on the western shore. By boat they all fit into one day, and our Classic Lake Tour links them at an easy pace.
