Lake Como-Part Due

I arrived in the town of Menaggio after a long day of train and bus rides on Thursday night. My intention at that point was to leave no later than Sunday. What I didn't know at the time was that I would have such a great time that I wouldn't leave till Tuesday instead.

My first full day there was spent with a kid named Greg (see previous post). We went to go find Villa Balbianello in a town called Lenno. Now this place is significant for other reasons, sure, but the one that interested me was that it was in a scene in Casino Royale where James Bond is recovering from getting beaten up at the end of the movie. I remember seeing that movie and thinking "Wow. That place is beautiful." Naturally, I wanted to see it.

We heard from a girl at the hostel that we needed to take the bus to Lenno and then walk along the lake until we saw signs for the Villa. We then should walk up the path on a short 20-30 minute hike to get there. So we did that and followed the path until we got to a locked gate. We were pretty disappointed and confused at this point. None of the signs around gave us any indication that the place should be closed. We were within the normal operating hours and days. Strange, we thought. So, very sullenly, we walked back down the path. We then saw a nice little Italian man and decided to ask what the deal was. He explained to us that on Thursdays and Fridays the Villa is only accessible by boats that leave from a nearby dock. Great! Not only do we get to see the Villa still, but by boat! It was really nice to be out on the water going somewhere by boat. Reminded me of home on Lake Lanier.

The story with the Villa is that it once belonged to Cardinal Durini in the 1700s but over the next several generations changed hands a number of times. Owners included the Cardinal's nephew, a wealthy American family from Boston, and finally a man by the name of Guido Monzino. He was basically just a businessman from Milan, but did have a pretty interesting life. He climbed Everest back in the 60s or 70s and went to the North Pole. He restored a lot of the Villa and decorated it himself with rare art from all over the world. The coolest piece, in my opinion, I didn't even get a picture of. Sad. It was a genuine Spanish treasure chest. The locking mechanism under the lid was really neat. 

Anyways...


Mr. Monzoni realized towards the end of his life that with no children and no wife, he might pass on and people would forget about his life entirely. It was at that point that he decided to donate his home and all of his belongings to the Italian National Trust. He then turned his home into a museum for himself. Yes, I thought it was somewhat cocky myself. But hey, I am grateful I got to poke around his house...so not too much judgement. 

We took the English tour and therefore got to go through his house to hear all of the stories of his life and discover the treasures and secret passageways hidden inside. Afterwards, Greg and I explored the gorgeous gardens surrounding his palace and awaited our boat to take us back to Lenno. 

Upon arrival back in Lenno, Greg needed to catch a bus to the train station to head back to Florence. Yet, we had enough time to grab some yummy pizza in a pizzeria in Lenno by the water.


An enjoyable Friday afternoon, if you ask me.

He was named "Honorary Nobility" and given a crest that reflected his love of adventurous expeditions.

He then proceeded to slap this crest on everything.