Punta Geno was Until the 1500s the site of a hospital, then a lazaret that led to the nickname Ca’ di mort. The complex was renovated and the Villa as we see it today dates back to 1850.
Villa Troubetzkoy was built in the mid-19th century, and was named after Russian Prince Alexander Troubetzkoy. The villa is clearly distinguishable both by its striking appearance and by the presence of an external elevator connecting it to the Larian road. The villa is currently privately owned.
Built in the 1700s, Later bought by Mylius, a German banker, now owned by the Cademartori family dairy owners. Singer Milva and former AC Milan player Shevchenko stayed there for long years.
Not far from the church of Saints Gordiano and Epimaco is Villa Maria Taglioni (1804-1884), named after the first great Romantic ballerina who invented pointe dancing, revolutionizing this artistic form. In the second half of the 19th century, Maria decided to retire to Lake Como and chose Blevio. She died in poverty despite her fortune because her father was a bad investor.
Villa Malpensata today Belvedere, built in the second half of the 18th c. It owes its name to the unhappy location on which it was built on the shore of the lake and connected to the village by steep paths.In 1804 it passed into the ownership of Countess Maddalena Imbonati, who changed the name of the villa to Belvedere. The famous Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni spent several summers here (early 1800s).
Acquistata da Silvio Berlusconi nel 2012 per 21 milioni di euro, comprata dall’amico Marcello Dell’Utri per che l’anno prima l’aveva pagate 12 milioni.
It is a private villa and dates back to.1898; it can be reached only by lake or from the Lariana, following a staircase of more than 500 steps. For the most part, the area is uninhabited and still linked to popular beliefs related to witchcraft. It is said that, in these lonely and wild places, witches would gather for their sabbaths. Owners: Guinness family
The Hamburg-born Amsick family of bankers in the late 1800s bought and destroyed two silk factories and three villas in San Giovanni to build Villa Placida. For this reason the dialectal saying “l’è rua l’Asmick cunt i so can e l’ha distruct mezz San Giuan” (the Amsick arrived with his dogs and destroyed half of San Giovanni) is famous in San Giovanni.
Complex built within a large property of an old monastery, of which only the small church remains. Built on the lakeshore in the second half of the 18th century. Private Property
Built in 1808 by Francesco Melzi d’Eril, a friend of Napoleon who appointed him vice president of the First Italian Republic. Remained owned by the same family, now by Count Ludovico Gallarati Scotti, who opened the gardens to the public in the 1970s. The rivalry with Sommariva, owner of Villa Carlotta, for having the rarest and most beautiful botanical species allows us today to enjoy this unparalleled garden, now a national monument. In the 1830s’ it was a meeting place for 2 famous lovers: Franz Lizst (Hungarian, composer and conductor) and Marie d’Agoult (French countess and writer).
Opened in 1873 for the Milanese and International upper middle class. In 1932 the structure was enriched with the inclusion of the Folies du Lac casino, later transferred by Benito Mussolini to Campione d’Italia. in 1949 the international hotel school was opened inside, becoming one of the most coveted and prestigious. Abandoned in the 1980s sold in 2000 for 16.8 billion liras, to the real estate company Grimit. It has been a few years since the hotel recovery plan was delivered.
Here Pliny the Younger owned a villa called Tragedia. The original layout of the villa dates back to the 1400s. In 1788 it passed to Count Alessandro Serbelloni, a member of one of Lombardy’s noblest and richest families; Last owner was Ella Walker, donating it upon her death to the Rockefeller Foundation. Today the villa is home to conferences and study stays of the Foundation. Guided tours only 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily except Monday € 10 for adults
Built in 1850 as the Villa Nobiliare, since 1870 it has been a renowned luxury hotel that has hosted Churchill, Roosevelt, J.F. Kennedy (a few months before his assassination)
