This morning we took the passenger ferry from Bellagio across to Tremezzo on the west side of Lake Como and walked to the Villa Carlotta in Tremezzina.

Lake Como has always been an important area of trade and a home for the wealthy. As early as the Roman period, affluent aristocrats settled in Como and built sumptuous homes. 

In the early 1700’s, young nobles and intellectuals traditionally took a “Grand Tour”, a once-in-a-lifetime trip around Europe meant to increase their knowledge of the world; the numerous modern villas dotting Lake Como became their favorite overnight stops, giving rise to the local tourism trade.   

The construction of Villa Carlotta began in 1690 by marquis Giorgio II Clerici from Milan and was completed by his great-grandson Antonio.

After several owners, the villa came into the possession of a Prussian princess in 1843 who re-named it for her daughter.

We were able to visit the extensive botanical gardens at the Villa Carlotta; the inside of the palazzo is set up as a sculpture museum.

We took the local bus from the Villa to the town of Lenno for lunch on the lakeside. Dave had three gluten free options (!) and Kris had some yummy teriyaki shrimp.

Cardinal Durini purchased an ancient Franciscan monastery in 1787 and converted it into the Villa Balbianello.  Subsequently the villa was inherited and sold several times before being donated to the Italian government.  The villa is famous for its elaborate terraced gardens. 

The villa was the set for Naboo in Star Wars – Attack of the Clones, and toward the end of Casino Royale. 

The ferry back from Lenno was full of hot, cranky tourists (including us) but we were happy to get back to Bellagio. We grabbed a quick dinner in town before hiking back up the hill to the hotel.