The back story
Nature on Lake Como: Gardens, Shores and Mountains
Botanical gardens above the water at Villa Carlotta and Villa Monastero, the camellias of Villa Melzi and the path to Balbianello: the natural side of Lake Como.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Pierre André Leclercq · Public domain via Wikimedia CommonsThe natural side of Lake Como, from the botanical gardens of Villa Carlotta and Villa Monastero and the lakeside gardens of Villa Melzi to the walk along the Lavedo peninsula to the Villa del Balbianello, with a directory of the gardens and walks in our guide.
Lake Como is a lake of gardens. Its mild climate, sheltered by the mountains, lets camellias, azaleas and plants from far warmer places grow along the shore, and the great villas have made the most of it for centuries. This is a short, honest guide to its natural side: gardens to wander and lakeside walks, rather than wildlife.
The botanical gardens
The garden of the Villa Carlotta, at Tremezzina, is a botanical garden laid out above the lake, “a kaleidoscope of colours in every season”, in its own words; it opens with the villa in season. Across the water at Varenna, the botanical garden of the Villa Monastero runs for nearly two kilometres along the lake and opens with the house museum. South of Bellagio, the gardens of Villa Melzi, laid out at the start of the 19th century, follow the shore to the little port of Loppia, open from the end of March to 1 November.
At Varenna, a botanical garden runs for nearly two kilometres along the shore.
Lakeside walks
From Lenno, the path to the Villa del Balbianello follows the wooded peninsula of Lavedo; the FAI publishes the access rules, by boat or on foot, on its official page. In Bellagio, climb the stepped lanes of the village, then walk south along the lake road to the gardens of Villa Melzi.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsFeature: a lake of gardens
The villas of Lake Como were built for the view, and their gardens for the climate: the lake keeps the shores mild, so plants from warmer countries flourish beside native trees. Visit in spring, when the camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons are in flower, or in autumn for the colour. Most gardens open with their villas in season, so check before you take the boat.
Did you know? The botanical garden of the Villa Monastero at Varenna stretches for nearly two kilometres along the shore of the lake.
Our advice
Our advice: plan the gardens for spring, travel between them by the lake boats, and check each villa’s season and hours before you go. Keep to the paths and never pick the flowers.
Why it's on our list
- The botanical gardens
- Lakeside walks
- Feature: a lake of gardens
- Our advice
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
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