Villa Serbelloni

The promontory of Bellagio (ancient Bilacus) has fascinat- ed generations of visitors, like Gustave Flaubert, who wrote these moving words in 1845: “One would like to live here and die here”.

Among the legends about Lake Como there is one concerning the precise location of the two villas that Pliny the Younger built on the lakeshore two thousand years ago.

One of them, called Tragoedia, seems to have been the origin of the Villa Serbelloni, situated in one of the most spectacular places in the whole of Lario. There was a medieval fort on this site, destroyed by the Visconti family, while in the 15th century Marchesino Stanga, treasurer of Lodovico il Moro, had a palace built here, now also demolished.

Later, Francesco and then Er- cole Sfondrati constructed a new luxurious residence with lush gardens, including citrus orchards, laurel and jasmine. The Sfondratis sold the property to Alessandro Serbelloni in 1788, who embellished the villa with valuable works of art and took an interest in the park, introducing acidophilic species in vogue in the new fashion of landscaping such as oleanders and exotic conifers.

Retaining walls were erected to create a network of paths and viewpoints from which to admire the lake. Formal areas were also added, which unusually follow the arced promontory.

This was the time when the natural environment was greatly exploited, since it lent itself perfectly to the creation of a wooded park, bisected by a long avenue that still today leads up to the villa. This avenue is flanked by terraces, hedges, flower beds and buildings designed to host young scholars in different fields of knowledge, wishing to think and create in a calm atmosphere.

Info: www.bellagiolakecomo.com

Giardini di Villa Serbelloni

Piazza della Chiesa 4 Bellagio (ufficio Promobellagio) tel./fax 031 951555

Email info@promobellagio.it

Tratto da “I GIRADINI”, Grandi Giardini Italiani (www.grandigiardini.it) – CCIAA Como, Provincia di Como.

Intera guida consultabile all’indirizzo http://www.co.camcom.it/guideturismo