castles-and-ruins near Villa Giovio
We are the first one ever cycling touring specialist on Lake Como area. Since 2007 we’ve been hiring high end racing bikes to cycling enthusiasts and offer guided and sel-guided cycling tours around lake Como. Pietro is your tour guide supported by...
NON SOLO BARCHE offers Boat rentals and Taxi boat service on Lake of Como. We can transport peoples from and to every places on our Lake's coasts. We have a lot of boat for rentals, with and without on board personnel. Good boats, experience and...
Born and raised in Como, associated to the IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Association), great passionate of outdoor activities. I summited some of the hardest peaks of the world, I’ve been climbing in more than 25 World...
The Equestrian Center Sagittarius Tavernerio (CO) is a riding center recognized by FISE, Italian Equestrian Federation, and Ente Affiliated to Olympic Disciplines: Show Jumping, Dressage and Eventing. Also at the Centre is on an established Pony...
Extending along the Breggia river, this park is renown for its geological importance and was Switzerland’s first “geo-park”. The area is rich in fossils and evidence of ancient seas. Of historical interest is the Red Church (14th c.) and a castle...
Located next to Villa d’Este, the garden of Villa Pizzo has an Italian arrangement on the east side, with tidy paths that travel through flower beds, and baroque fountains. On the western side, the old dock opens onto the pool of Villa d’Este, while...
Villa del Grumello is an historical mansion placed in a breathtaking setting: a wonderful park overlooking the lake. Surrounded by secular trees, it boasts an incredible view and charms its visitors with its elegance and magnificence. The park of...
Spina Verde Regional Park stretches on the hills northwest of Como. The area has many interesting features: nature - with its particular geology and vegetation; archeology - with remains from the medieval Baradello Castle to recent trenches of Sasso...
The entrance to the Cesare and Emilio Prandoni Retirement Home is set along picturesque steps that lead from Torno's town hall to the lake, where the boat jetty and church of Santa Tecla are located. The park adjacent to the building is set on the...
Garden consisting of reclaimed land that had previously been a garbage dump. The project began in the 1980s and was the genius idea of Mrs. Pupa Frati (affectionately known as Grandma Pupa). The Association of the “Garden in the Valley" is a...
A great meeting point in Como right on the water. Just minutes from the train station and harbour for ferries, Rapido and private boats alike. Ideal for a walk, sit at a café or have a meal....
The building now houses the Civic Archaeological Museum Paolo Giovio, is one of the most interesting palaces of the city of Como and retains part of the eighteenth-century interior. The palace, located in a square within the walled city and includes...
Built for the Abbot Marco Gallio on the site of Paolo Giovio's sixteenth-century villa called "The Museum", it dates back to the beginning of the seventeenth century. It has a simple layout, with two loggias on the ground floor, one facing the lake...
The villa is now headquarters of Antonio Ratti foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the culture of textiles and contemporary art. It was built between 19th and the beginning of 20th century and belonged to different people. Among them...
Villa del Grumello is an historical mansion placed in a breathtaking setting: a wonderful park overlooking the lake. The villa’s interior can only be experienced for special functions and events but its majestic exterior can be viewed by the public...
Built in 1790 and renovated in 1850 in neoclassical form, Villa Geno is located alongside the famous Como fountain, featuring a jet of water 30 meters high. It is set in a unique natural complex consisting of the Lake and the promontory as a...
Private villa viewable only from outside or the lake. Owned by Count Mario Allamel, a very affable host who frequently invited with Cernobbio’s citizens to literary events and music in the beautiful garden and gazebo. It is located on a lakefront...
Presently the municipal office for the town of Cavallasca and tourist office for Spina Verde Park, the villa is surrounded by a beautiful park and terraces. The building has important wall paintings, mythological and biblical in theme. Noteworthy...
Available for private rental with chef and all modern amenities. Also known as Villa Taglioni, after the original owner, ballerina Marie Taglioni who in lived in the feudal home for forty years. The property later went to Michele Riccardi, owner of...
The Villa Erker Hocevar is surrounded by a large garden, overlooking the road along the lake, which is directly connected by a passageway. Built between 1829 and 1830, the villa's fame is tied to a long stay of Vincenzo Bellini, famed opera...
Built around 1850 by Russian Prince Troubetzkoy, married to one of the daughters of famous Ballerina Marta Taglioni. The Prince came to the area after having served six months heavy labour in a Siberia for plotting against Czar Nicholas I. He...
Located in a panoramic position between the inlet of Loppia and the hamlet of San Giovanni, Villa Taverna was built by Count Paolo Taverna at the end of the eighteenth century. The villa is a private residence and can only be seen from the lake. The...
It is one of the most famous villas of the lake, set apart and sad, with a mysterious and disquieting aspect. It seems that upon the building heap an inscrutable aura, quite as the ghosts that disturbed its first owner, the count Giovanni Anguissola...
Located next to Villa d’Este, this villa is in the private hands of the Volpi-Bassani family. The gardens can be visited during the week by groups of ten or more. Villa Pizzo Cernobbio: Giovanni Muggiasca purchased the farmland on the Pizzo...
Villa Bernasconi is one of the most precious examples of art nouveau in Italy. It is owned by the town of Cernobbio and is now a cultural center hosting exhibitions and events. It was built before 1905 in Cernobbio, not directly on the lake but not...
Villa Saporiti or "La Rotonda" in Como owes its name to the elliptical hall that protrudes towards the lake. Villa Saporiti was built at the end of the eighteenth century for the marquis Villani of Milani on a design by Leopoldo Pollack. The...
Villa Erba is a 19th-century villa in Cernobbio, on the shores of Lake Como, Italy. It serves as a world-renown conference centre and was the filming location for Ocean’s Twelve in 2004 and Gwen Stefani's single "Cool". Villa Erba was built by Luigi...
Villa Fontanelle is near Moltrasio on the Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Milan. Presently owned by Russian billionaire Arkady Novikov, this villa was once home to Gianni Versace who lived there until his murder in 1997....
Stately neoclassical building dating back to the end of 1700. It has an Italian garden at the front and an English park at the back with secular trees and woody plants. The villa belongs to the City Council which uses it for conventions, events and...
Designed by architect Cesare Cattaneo and painter Mario Radice in 1935. It is a complex construction of circular elements whose harmonious composition consists of four spheres arranged on each other with alternate horizontal rings. Originally...
Located in Montepiatto, a village high above Torno with great hiking trails and equally fantastic views of the lake is the "Stone pendula", boulder resting on a pedestal. This boulder with its base has the appearance of a mushroom. It is thought...
Monument to commemorate the victims of World War II and resistance movements. The monument is a project of Milan sculptor Gianni Colombo. It is located in a park by the lake. It combines stones from Nazi concentration camps and city of Hiroshima...
Daniel Libeskind created this dazzling 16.5 meter (54 feet) high stainless steel sculpture near Piazza Cavour, Como. The public monument, the first contemporary work ever to be installed in Como, is an homage to famed scientist Alexander Volta who...
The burial town where Alessandro Volta is buried was originally called Camnago, and took the name of Camnago Volta in 1863 in honour of this great scientist. The mausoleum, a temple of neoclassic style, was finished in 1831, decorated with statues...
Born in Como, Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta was an Italian physicist credited with the invention of the first electrical battery, the Voltaic pile, which he invented in 1799. With this invention Volta proved that electricity could be...
Sculpture dedicated to disabled service people. Roughly translation on the plaque goes like this: "One hand is actively serving the country in defense of institutional values. The other hand is wounded in the line of duty." The monument is the most...
In 1931, Giuseppe Terragni and his brother were asked by the fascists to design a monument for the victims of World War I. Their design was based on a sketch of the Italian futurist Antonio Sant'Elia, whose sketches showed modernity, dynamics and...
The Volta Lighthouse stands on a hill in San Maurizio, 150 metres above Brunate. From Brunate you can follow a walking path up to the lighthouse and it takes less than 30 minutes to walk there. You can pay an admission and climb to the top of the...
First mentioned the thirteenth century, but excavations, have unearthed remains of a chapel built in eleventh and the twelfth century and rebuilt in the fifteenth century. The bell tower has been dated to the second half of the eleventh century. A...
Includes the Basilica of St. Vincent and the Baptistery of St. John the Baptist and is one of the most famous monuments of Lombardian Romanesque architecture. The building, dated 1007, stands as one of the first accounts of the organic form of the...
The land where this shrine shrine now stands was once marsh close to the moat that surrounded the walled city of Como. It was barely habitable consisting of miserable hovels and shacks that led a dubious existence. In 1236 the canonical Erasmo...
The building was first started between 1908 and 1912. Luigi Dell'Orto, mayor of Cernobbio for almost thirty years, wanted this church to solemnize his wedding with Elizabeth Lucca. After the war, the building was completed thanks to the heirs, in...
Temple of the Shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Water Sports Prodigy. In a stormy crossing of the Adriatic, on the night of September 12, 1669, the family of Count Antonio Zancaropulo Berardo escaping from Crete, sought shelter in Venice. During...
The S. Cecillia Monastery, built around the middle of the thirteenth century, from 1270 was driven by the Lucini family and support of the Franciscans and the bishop Leone Lambertenghi. The building lies on the Roman walls of the imperial age,...
Situated in the hamlet of Borgo, built on the previous Romanesque building, was the parish from the end of the fifteenth century. A single nave, has suffered repeated rearrangements. Inside frescoes Fiammenghino and an altarpiece of the sixteenth...
The church of San Vincenzo in Cernobbio is located in the historic part of the town, in front of Tolomeo Gallio square, a few steps away from the lake. We can date the origin of the church back to 1150, a pastoral visit of Bishop Niguarda that took...
Built on location of a church dating back to the 16th century, Santi Epimaco e Girdino was completely rebuilt in the second half of the 18th century. The original parish church is located in the lower part of town, near the lake. For this reason,...
Occupying an enviable position high above the town of Como and Como branch of the lake, the church of Brunate contains a wealth of history and art. The centuries-old history of the church contains beautiful artistic works (the fifteenth-century...
The village contains this interesting church that dates back to the 14th century. It has a fine Romanesque bell tower and a decorated Renaissance portal. An ancient chest behind the altar preserves a precious reliquary, a nail of the Holy Cross....
The church was founded in 1300 by two brothers Hermits of St. Augustine from Civilio, a village above Como, on land donated by a family whose members were later buried in front of the presbytery. It is the only example of Cistercian architecture...
Situated in the hamlet of Vignola, along the ancient Via Regina, it preserves its ancient structure in bare stone decorated with small arches. The exterior has remains of Renaissance and late Gothic frescos. The interior is divided into two naves...
Located in the middle of the walled town, the church was built between the 11th to the end of the 13th century and was possibly the first cathedral in Como. It features a complex planimetry including three short naves, provided with women's...
Built on a structure dedicated to Mercury and pagan cults. The first bishop of Como Felice changed the temple dedicated to a Christian church, in which he placed the mortal remains of Carpoforo. Located on the ancient Roman road connecting Como to...
An omni-present feature of Lake Como’s skyline is the Como Cathedral with its white marble facade and imposing dome. The interior is equally spectacular boasting elaborate altar paintings, gargoyles and a magnificent dome. Como Cathedral (Italian:...
The Basilica of Sant'Abbondio is located outside the walls of Como, under Mount Croce, along a stretch of Via Regina that was an important area of worship. The church has two notable bell towers rising at the end of the external aisles, in the...
Go karting in Como for kids 6 and up (130cm) and adults with several track layouts available. Open seven days a week....
Need a place to give the kids a break but also be able to go for a work out or a pampering massage? Located in nearby Swirzerland, this pool facility with spa, fitness centre, splash pad and slides is less than half an hour away from Como at the...
For the driving enthusiast no matter what age, Como’s indoor Driver Park might be just the welcome break from all those villas, churches and hikes. The 8000 sqm facility on three floors features a Kids Park, Formula Karting, Simulators, Displays and...
The baths date from the first century A.D. to the present day. Since the second half of the first century AD, the remains of Roman baths were spread over an area of about 1500 square meters. Thanks to recovery work in recent years, the baths are now...
Educational science museum that was inaugurated in 1917 aiming at providing educational tools for teaching science in school. The room that hosts the museum is painted with frescos inspired by nature and displays images of all Nobel Laureates who...
The Toy Horse Museum is the first and to date only museum in the world dedicated to the horse toy. The Museum is located in what was once the stables of the famous trotter Tornese that in the fifties was more times world champion. In 1969, the...
Exhibition space for cultural events as contemporary art exhibitions, conferences, concerts and living-performances. One of the better known examples is MiniArtTextil—an annual international exhibition of contemporary art showing the best in Textile...
The Museum extends over a surface of 1000 square metres and its exhibits reconstruct the silk manufacturing process with an historical and educational approach. The visitor is given the opportunity to learn more about both the whole process and the...
Como’s Archaeological Museum Paolo Giovio is housed in the Palazzo Giovio, and features collections from prehistoric and antiquity eras. The building, dating back to the late Middle Ages, underwent some changes in the sixteenth century by Benedetto...
What is today the Giuseppe Garibaldi Museum was once a residential building, which hosted Garibaldi during his campaigns for independence. Within its walls, is an impressive collection of dresses, weapons, documents and furniture of the...
Civic museum and gallery with artifacts and paintings from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and contemporary works....
The Volta Temple is a museum dedicated to Alessandro Volta, a prolific scientist and the inventor of the electrical battery. Volta was born in Como in 1745, held his first professorship there until 1779, and retired to Como in 1819. It is one of the...
At Mount Cross Ardona (m. 1005), a path splits into two. On the left, is a wooded summit then down along a bumpy ride to the entrance of Castel d'Ardona. To the right, a few bends bring you to same point but the road is much easier (1h 30 'from...
Gate Tower is an imposing fortress, 40 meters high, built in 1192, on the initiative of the mayor Hubert de 'Olevano, to defend the entrance to the city of Como. In the fourteenth century the great tower was flanked by two other pentagonal towers,...
Baradello Castle is situated on hill dominating the valley like a stone sentinel watching over the town of Como and Spina Verde Park. The top of the tower provides 360 degree views of the city, the Alps and Po Valley. The fortification was used...
Como’s famed concert hall showcasing opera, dance, theatre and contemporary artists. Teatro Sociale di Como vaunts an extremely varied programme of top-level events. Classical and modern dance performances by international companies, symphonic...
A very popular excursion from the city is the ascent by funicular to the village of Brunate. This fun train made its first journey in 1894 and still today, every 30 minutes, it links the city with an extremely atmospheric panoramic point. The...
Free yourself from the stress of work, forget the frenzy of a thousand daily commitments, dive into a world of pure relaxation dedicated to the care of the body and mind. The activity is to beauty and wellness center newly developed for the...
Experience 21 deluxe spa double rooms with emotional showers, chromo & aromatherapy, furniture and colours oriented to the guest relaxation. A holistic view of the person starts at I-SPA, to renew your own energy thanks to a variety of...
CastaDiva Resort & Spa is a five-star luxury resort located on the east side of Lake Como, in the lovely village of Blevio, only 5 km from Como and 65 km from Milano Malpensa International Airport. The SPA, covering an area of 1.300 sq.mt., is...
Just north of Como, is this charming Lido, situated next to the Hotel Imperiale. It provides a relaxed environment in which to enjoy a natural lake swim, that includes divings. A snack shop and an authentic restaurant called Imperialino is located...
Located on one of the most picturesque locations on Lake Como (open from 9 to 7pm daily). The pool area and sun deck offer a splendid panorama of the lake and surrounding mountains, in an atmosphere of charm and relaxation. The solarium is set up...
Villa Geno is a small lido placed on the east side of the bay of Como. From here the sight to the West side, with its neoclassic villas is amazing. The lido offers a wide meadow for sunbathing and a pool for children, bikes and umbrella rentals...
NON SOLO BARCHE offers Boat rentals and Taxi boat service on Lake of Como. We can transport peoples from and to every places on our Lake's coasts. We have a lot of boat for rentals, with and without on board personnel. Good boats, experience and...
There are numerous natural beaches along the shores of Lake Como but for those who prefer to swim in a pool, consider this location next to famous Villa Olmo where you will also find restaurant and bar services....
The Kilometer of Knowledge (Chilometro della Conoscenza) is a path on the western shore of Lake Como - a kilometer long - that starts from Villa Olmo, crosses a bridge through the municipality of Serre, Villa del Grumello, and ends at Villa Sucota....
Located above the village of Cernobbio, it is the starting point of the famous route known as “Via dei Monti Lariani", a hiking and cycling trail of 125 km on the mountains of the western shore of Lake Como. Many of the villages connected by the...
Inside Como’s walled city are many pedestrian friendly squares. Explore Piazza Fedele’s cafes or restaurants in an ambiance that is a bit more quiet than the Piazza Duomo....
Montepiatto is a small settlement of houses scattered in the mountains above Torno. After a windy path a several steep staircases, you'll be awarded with beautiful views of the Como lake basin....
The whole territory of the Larian Triangle and, in particular, its westernmost end, is characterized by the abundant presence of so-called "erratics" or "boulders" left behind by glaciers. Those found in Torno and Blevio have been declared national...
Cycling around the perimeter of Lake Como is a classic ride that will give any cyclist a great sense of accomplishment. The ride is 160km long and takes you through all of Lake Como's lake side cities and villages....
A beautiful 18-hole course designed by Peter Gannon which winds its way through chestnut, ash and pine trees sheltering golfers even from the intense August heat. Villa d'Este is considered one of the most challenging and difficult par 69's in...
With its two courses, Monticello Golf Club is the largest in Italy - the pride of Italian golf. Golf is not just a simple sport, it is the meeting and competing of man and nature. It is getting to know yourself and competing against yourself with...
The Tower is located on a rocky outcrop above the village of Spurano and it was an ancient watchtower, which probably dates back to the 12th century. The fortified structure, included in the difensive system of the Comacina Island, was probably...
An ancient palace of the seventeenth century. It belonged to one of the most influential families of Lake Como, the Brentano, who later moved to Milan and then to Germany. It is currently used in part as a city hall where the renown painter Giulio...
Originally a signalling tower, that later became a fortress as documented 1158. There is no information about the proceeding centuries until 1454 when the area fell into the hands of the Republic of Venice and the Adda River became the natural...
The Castle lies on a peninsula jutting out into Lake Como close to Riva Bianca and its namesake beach. Built in the Romanesque period, the fortress was at the focus of several historical events, like the battle between Milan and Como in 1124. It was...
Also called Tower of Barbarossa, stands high over Mandello dating from the twelfth century. The tower has been rebuilt over the years, but retains interesting architectural features like the arched portal, the remains of painted trophies and a...
Volunteers of the Cultural Center Library Bellagio deal with loaning library books and organize various cultural events....
It is thought the tower was built at the behest of Fontanedo Bernabo Visconti in 1357, on the defensive line of Upper Lake, but perhaps it was only enhanced an existing structure. It is located about 700 meters downstream of the village of...
In the medieval center of Villincino, was a fortified town built in the late tenth century. The village was owned by the wealthy family Carpani. The town was destroyed in 1278. The small and picturesque district is accessed by going through a tower,...
It is a private building constructed on roman foundation with an irregular square plant. The building, which has crown walls with battlements to protect the round parapet, can be dated between 1360 and 1370. It is a typical castle-enclosure, which...
Fort Fuentes is a former military fort on the hill of Montecchio or Monteggiolo near Colico, northern Italy. It was built by the Spanish governor of Milan, Don Pedro Enríquez de Acevedo, Count of Fuentes, to defend the northern border of the Spanish...
Fort Montecchio-Lusardi is a military fort situated in Colico, in the province of Lecco, northern Italy. It was built between 1911 and 1914. It is the only Italian fort from World War I which has been preserved intact with its original weapons. The...
A must see--one of the most beautiful castles on the lake. It is a walled enclusure, developed around a squared tower with restored battlements and a real drawbridge. Additional attractions feature live falconry shows, an exhibition dedicated to the...
Trapezoidal shaped castle with three towers built by counts Della Torre of Rezzonico in 1363. It is described as a "castle-fence", fortifying an area of two thousand square meters which surrounded the town and the main tower. Today the castle is...
Placed on a hill overlooking the town, the castle was built in late Middle Ages to block the way to Valvarrone and it still remains a well-preserved tower, surrounded by ruins of ancient houses. The first proofs date back to 1039, when it suffered a...