7 Must See Gardens and Villas in the Lakes Region

The Italian Lakes region has been attracting travellers to its beautiful shores since Roman times. The wealthy built lavish villas, inspired by the scenic lake and mountain vistas. Taking advantage of the Mediterranean like climate to grow spectacular gardens. Clinging to the steep shorelines and enhance the villa’s natural surroundings.

Some of the most beautiful villas and gardens are found along the two most popular lakes in the region, Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. With the Borromean islands of Isola Bella and Isola Madre and Villa Taranto near the resort city of Stresa on Lake Maggiore and the lovely villas and gardens strung along the shores of Lake Como, including Villa del Balbianello on its promontory, Villa Carlotta near Tremezzo and Villa Melzi in the gorgeous village of Bellagio.

The wooded shores of Lake Orta are less crowded but the enchanting town of Orta San Giulio, the ornate Villa Crespi and the picturesque Island of San Giulio enthrall visitors with the beautiful natural surroundings and lovely lake and mountain views. Visit these amazing places as part of our nine-day Italian Lakes and Swiss Mountains Small Group Journey.

Here are seven of the must-see gardens and villas in the Lakes Region:

Lake Como

1. Villa del Balbianello

Perched on a scenic promontory near the village of Lenno, the 18th century Villa del Balbianello and its magnificent gardens have featured in films such as Casino Royale and Star Wars: Episode II. The collections of the last private owner, adventurer Guido Monzino, fill the estate, including an Expedition Museum of his exploits in scaling Mt. Everest. The gardens cling dramatically to the steep hillsides, with topiary art and a statue-filled loggia overlooking beautiful lake vistas. Rhododendrons and azaleas bloom profusely in the spring.

2. Villa Carlotta

A captivating combination of ornate villa with an outstanding art collection and a beautiful garden surrounding the property. Villa Carlotta was originally built in the late 1600s and subsequently named for the daughter of Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, who gave her the villa as a wedding gift in 1850.

The villa contains paintings, furniture, and art works by sculptors such as Antonio Canova, Bertel Thorvaldsen and others. The impressive Italianate-style gardens burst with colour in springtime but are a visual delight year-round, full of majestic trees, tropical plants, fountains, statues, terraces and even a bamboo garden, taking advantage of the gorgeous lakeside setting.

Read more about Villa Carlotta’s intriguing history here.

3. Villa Melzi d’Eril

While exploring the dramatically beautiful town of Bellagio with its charming piazzas and flower-decked staircases and lanes, save time to wander the beautiful gardens of the Villa Melzi d’Eril. It was built in the early 1800s for a vice president of the Italian Republic during Napoleon’s time. Though the villa itself is not open, the English-style garden is filled with beautiful trees set along winding paths. It also features a Japanese pond with water lilies, classical statuary, a Moorish temple, and an Orangery with a collection of Napoleonic memorabilia.

Lake Maggiore

4. Isola Bella’s Borromean Palace and Gardens

The Borromean family were wealthy merchants and bankers who bought extensive lands in Lombardy. This included the Borromean Islands located near Stresa on the western shores of Lake Maggiore. Isola Bella is the most spectacular, with its ornate 17th century Palace with elaborately furnished and decorated rooms filled with tapestries and paintings, plus the unique artificial shell-encrusted grottoes underneath the main floors. But it is the tiered gardens that steal the show. Built on terraces stepping down to the lake, and dripping with fountains, statuary, plants, flowers, and trees, creating a theatrical setting. From the lake, the palace and stepped gardens look like the decks and bow of a ship.

5. Isola Madre

The gardens of the Borromean family’s villa on Isola Madre are English landscape in design, allowing for beautiful strolls through lovely surroundings, filled with rare plants, a magnificent Cypress tree from Kashmir and even white peacocks roaming the grounds. The villa itself is less ostentatious than that of Isola Bella and features a family collection of 17th century paintings and porcelain, along with marionettes and stage sets for puppet shows.

6. Villa Taranto

The dream of a retired Scottish sea captain, Villa Taranto beguiles with its charming lakeside gardens located about 9 miles north of Stresa. Built in 1931, the gardens fill nearly 40 acres of lovely lakeside property with walkways through the collection of beautiful flowers and plants from all over the world. The owner named the gardens after an ancestor who was given the title of Duke of Taranto by Napoleon.

Lake Orta

7. Orta San Giulio/Villa Crespi and Isola San Giulio

Lake Orta is the quieter sister to Lakes Maggiore and Como. Yet it rewards the visitor with beauties all its own. Begin with the ravishing village of Orta San Giulio, which contains the striking 19th century Moorish style Villa Crespi with its minaret that pierces he sky. The park-like grounds are dotted with magnificent trees, and the villa is now a luxury hotel with a renowned two-star Michelin restaurant.

Be sure to see the Isola San Giulio, a short boat trip into the lake, to visit the Romanesque Basilica and Benedictine Abbey. Follow the quiet paths around the small island for lovely views and restful contemplation or head up the hillside above Orta San Giulio to see the Sacred Mount with its series of painting and sculpture filled chapels dedicated to the life of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The natural beauty of the Lakes Region has been enhanced by the manmade attractions of ornate villas and spectacular gardens added by the wealthy over the centuries. These are yours to explore during your adventures in Italy’s beautiful Lakes Region. Why not join us on the Italian Lakes and Swiss Mountains Tour and discover this area for yourself?

Tags: Lake Orta, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Isola Bella, Villa Carlotta