Sights · Our pick on Lake Como
Villa del Balbianello
On its own peninsula
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © © FAI – Fondo Ambiente Italiano · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Sheeba Samuel · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons1 / 2
About Villa del Balbianello
The Villa del Balbianello, at Via Guido Monzino 1, Tremezzina, stands on a site where a Franciscan convent stood from the 13th century; Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini made it his retreat at the end of the 18th and built its Loggia, which holds the music room and the library. The villa keeps 18th-century French furniture, Beauvais tapestries and collections of non-European art; in the attic, the Museo delle Spedizioni holds what the FAI describes as the largest collection of Inuit ivories outside Greenland, and the sled from the 1971 North Pole expedition. Guido Monzino left it to the FAI, which has run it since 1988. Tickets on the FAI’s official site.
Why it's on our list
- FAI
- The Loggia
- Museo delle Spedizioni
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Villa del Balbianello before you go.
What’s nearby
Distances from Villa del Balbianello are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 14 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest stations and ferry stops
- LennoBoat1.0 km13 min walk
- CampoBoat1.2 km15 min walk
- OspedalettoBoat1.7 km21 min walk
Key sights
- Villa Carlotta3.2 kmWalk 40 minCycle 14 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Villa Melzi gardens4.2 kmCycle 18 minCar or taxi 13 min
- Villa Monastero8.1 kmCycle 35 minCar or taxi 21 min
- Brunate funicular18 kmCar or taxi 42 min
- Como Cathedral19 kmCar or taxi 44 min
- Malpensa Airport53 kmCar or taxi 110 min
- Linate Airport58 kmCar or taxi 121 min
Main railway stations
- Varenna-Esino8.5 kmCycle 37 minCar or taxi 22 min
- Lecco19 kmCar or taxi 43 min
- Como Lago19 kmCar or taxi 43 min
- Como San Giovanni20 kmCar or taxi 45 min
- Colico23 kmCar or taxi 52 min