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When Count Guido Monzino died on 11 October 1988 he left Villa del Balbianello to the FAI, with all its furniture, art collections, books, archives, the Museum of his mountaineering and polar expeditions as well as the woods on the Avedo promontory and other appurtenances.
To allow the FAI "to preserve, look after and carry out any necessary improvement on this historical and cultural centre" he also left the FAI a considerable "dowry" so that the annual income it provided could cover even major running expenses.
Another clause in his will bequeathed to the FAI a large sum "to be used for its institutional purposes". Lastly, Guido Monzino expressed the wish that "The FAI should always keep the Italian flag flying on the jetty at Balbianello, in memory of all the flags my Alpine guides flew in many parts of the world, in a spirit of idealism, with humility but always with heroism."
Located on the western shore of Lake Como, Villa del Balbianello is perched on the point of the Dosso di Lavedo, a wooded promontory that juts out from the coastline to form a small peninsula. The complex was commissioned by Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini towards the end of the eighteenth century and built on the remains of a thirteenth-century Franciscan Monastery whose façade has been preserved flanked by two elegant bell towers. Already the owner of the neighbouring Villa Balbianello, built in the sixteenth century for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio, the prelate saw this splendid niche as the ideal place for an exclusive literary retreat (which was frequented, among others, by Parini, who dedicated his Ode XXII, La Gratidudine [Gratitude], to his dear friend).
The inviting motto Fay ce que voudras (Do as you please) inscribed on the pavement of the portico above the small harbour epitomises the spirit with which the place was conceived. |
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(Ph. © Giorgio Majno) |
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A well-kept path leads from the front of the small Church (which is accessible from the small harbour mentioned above, as well as from a sleek marina) to the summit of the promontory. Tall sycamores pruned "candelabra-style" alternate with statues and gnarled wisteria, lining the panoramic path that climbs p through steep grassy slopes bordered by boxwood and laurel bushes. The Park also contains fine specimens of holmoaks, camphor trees, magnolias and cypresses, as well as spectacular azaleas and rhododendrons, which burst into vigorous bloom in late spring.
The special geological properties of this soil frustrated past attempts to realise a formal "Italian-style" garden, as well as to create a romantic "English" park.
Balbianello is, in fact, a one-of-a-kind microcosm, whose allure is enhanced by its seamless continuity with the lakefront scenery that surrounds it.
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 (Ph. © Giorgio Majno) |
A magnificent Loggia crowns the main building from the highest point of promontory, letting the viewer simultaneously enjoy two different panoramas of the Lake from the same spot: on one side, the wilder Gulf of Diana, towards Balbianello and Comacina Island, on the other, to the north, the Gulf of Venus at its most celebrated point, the Tremezzina (the waters between Tremezzo and Bellagio). This was considered one of the must-see tourist destinations at he turn of the century, not only by the Milanese aristocracy, but also by the more cultured European gentry. The elegant structure is flanked by two large halls, one a Library and the other originally designed for chamber music (now called The Map Room). After Cardinal Durini's death, the Villa was inherited by his nephew, Luigi Porro Lambertenghi, one of the most fervent anti-Austrian patriots in Milan, one of whose Carbonari guests was Silvio Pellico, who spent long periods at "Balbianino" tutoring the Count's sons. When Lambertenghi was subsequently forced to leave Italy, he sold the property to a friend, Giuseppe Arconati Visconti. Donna Costanza, the Marquise, transformed the Villa into an animated place, hosting a summer salon whose guests included Berchet, Giusti and even Manzoni. Giuseppe and Costanza's non-conformist son, Giammartino, an Oriental scholar and fierce anti-cleric, enhanced the Villa's décor and added many books and objects. Following almost forty years of total neglect, in 1919 the Villa was purchased by an American general, Butler Ames, who restored it scrupulously. Twenty years after his death, in 1974, his heirs sold the property to an entrepreneur, Guido Monzino, who doubled as an explorer and ardent mountaineer. A scion of one of Milan's most solidly-established bourgeois families, he undertook a thorough restructuring project involving not only the buildings, but also the magnificent garden, which acquired its present aspect.
In the Library next to the Loggia the Count added his books on alpine and polar exploration, still an enormously valuable resource for those who study these subjects.
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(Ph. © Mario Govino) |
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The expedition room on the upper floor of the villa is dedicated to an exhibition of mementoes and memorabilia of Guido Monzino's boldest expeditions. Photographs, flags and honours are joined in the centre of the room by one of the eight dog-hauled sledges that enabled Monzino to reach the North Pole in 1971. The small Eskimo statues representing divinities and anthropomorphic figures are also very interesting. |
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(Ph. © Archivio FAI) |
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Dosso d'Avedo is just a few minutes by boat from Balbian mall Franciscan church. Cardinal Durini built here from 1787 a splendid "place of delights" where he could study and discuss letters and arts with a few qualified friends. Welcomed by the "Fay ce que voudras" (Do what you want) engraved on the paving of the portico opening on to the small port, guests climbed to the villa up a steep staircase overlooking the lake; and it is still so today, since access from the lake is still the main approach.
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VILLA DEL BALBIANELLO -Via Comoedia - Lenno (Como)
Ph. +39 0344 56110 / Fax +39 0344 55575 / E-mail: faibalbianello@fondoambiente.it
Opening Times
Middle to MARCH - Middle to NOVEMBER: 10 am - 6 pm
CLOSING DAYS: Mondays and Wednesday (unless public holidays) /
SCHOOLS: guided visits (only for FAI member classes and on prior booking).
/
LAST ENTRANCE: half an hour before closing.
FURTHER INFORMATION >>
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