5 extraordinary points of Como Lake

Villa Erba was once the summer retreat of the movie director Luchino Visconti and more recently, the movie set in Ocean’s Twelve , residence of “The Night Fox. (Vincent Cassel), the infamous thief. In the second episode of the trilogy about the adventure of thieves headed by Danny Ocean (George Clooney), where with Julia Roberts they show the Night Fox who the best thief is. Also, some scenes of the movie Murder Mistery, with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, where played in this sumptuous and iconic villa.

The Orrido di Nesso is a natural gorge located in the Village of Nesso, and it is visible from Piazza Castello, along the road from Como to Bellagio, or better, by boat in front of the Civera bridge. Between the countless aristocratic villas and sumptuous nature of Lake Como, this iconic spot shows its different beauty throughout the combination of the simplicity of the Romanic bridge framed by the typical colourful houses and completed by the suggestive jump of the waterfall. It turns out to be a truly unique spectacle.

The yellow-painted four-story building was built in the first half of the 19th century in a neoclassical style by the eccentric Lord Charles Currie, a visiting Englishman who fell in love with Lake Como. Unable to find a villa for sale, he decided to create his own, right on the lake-side. In 1977 it was bought in a state of neglect by the Italian designer Gianni Versace, who restored it in its present neoclassical glory. The work, completed in December 1980, included landscaping the ornamental gardens, which include three cottages, a tennis court, an approximately 800-meter lakefront facade and a private mooring.

Villa Melzi is a private historical residence, located in the municipality of Bellagio. The Villa is famous for its gardens overlooking the lake and it’s a must for boat trips. The Villa was built in the early 1800s, designed and furnished by Giocondo Albertolli, architect and decorator, the greatest exponent of Italian neoclassicism. It is located in Loppia, a few minutes south of Bellagio, towards Como. Like other villas on the lake-side, it has hosted great artists of the past, such as Stendahl and Liszt. The English gardens and a small museum with archaeological finds, Napoleonic relics and Renaissance frescoes, are famous and can be visited. Inside the villa, still owned by the Melzi heirs, there are works by artists among the most important, one above all Antonio Canova. The shore of the lake opposite the villa, is occupied by Tremezzo, a typical village at the foot of Monte Crocione.