Villa Monastero
Clinging to the eastern shore of Lake Como, Villa Monastero is a former Cistercian convent turned aristocratic residence whose terraced botanical gardens spill dramatically down to the water's edge. Lemon trees, oleanders, and ancient cypress allées frame jaw-dropping views across the lake to the Grigne mountains.
A Garden Built for Dreaming
The gardens stretch for nearly two kilometres along the lakefront, divided into themed rooms — citrus groves, rose pergolas, a Japanese-influenced water garden — each one more photogenic than the last.
Statues, fountains, and ornate balustrades punctuate every turn, and the warm microclimate means something is always in bloom from March through October.
Inside the Villa
The villa's interior rooms are open seasonally and display original 19th-century furnishings, Flemish tapestries, and period ceramics that tell the story of the Clerici and De Marchi families who shaped the estate.
Don't miss the frescoed sala delle feste, whose tall windows frame a perfect rectangle of shimmering lake — one of the most quietly spectacular rooms in all of Lombardy.
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