Villa Monastero
Eight centuries of history blending art, nature, and outstanding beauty: Villa Monastero was built on the ruins of an ancient Cistercian monastery founded at the end of the 12ᵗʰ century. Its eclectic style reflects the influence of numerous owners with varying tastes and styles. Since 1953, it has housed a prominent international Conference Centre, and in 2003 the Museum House was inaugurated: fourteen splendid rooms with original furnishings and decorations. It is surrounded by a magnificent botanical garden filled with rare and exotic plants, which stretches for almost two kilometres along the lakeshore.
The Museum HouseOverlooking the lake, the Museum House was opened to the public in 2003. Its tour includes fourteen splendid rooms with elegant and original furnishings and decorations, each with a distinctive style and telling the long history of Villa Monastero. Among the highlights are the Neo-Renaissance Black Room, the Music Room with two vintage pianos, the Red Room adorned with Neo-Rococo furniture, and the Fermi Room, where the physicist Enrico Fermi gave his final lectures in 1954. |
The Botanical GardenEclectic in style, like the Villa itself, the Garden extends for about two kilometres along the lakeshore, from Varenna to the hamlet of Fiumelatte. Rows of cypresses and majestic Lebanese cedars alternate with rare botanical species from around the world. The garden features numerous exotic varieties, including African palms, agaves, and yuccas, alongside fragrant citrus trees, blooming oleanders, English roses, colourful peonies, and ferns. Architectural highlights include a semicircular temple, a fountain, a Neo-Romanesque well, and the sculpture group The Clemency of Titus, the final work by Neoclassical artist Giovanni Battista Comolli (1775–1830). |
The Conference CentreFounded through a donation from the De Marchi family, who gifted the Villa to the State for public use, the Villa Monastero Conference Centre has been operating since 1953 and hosts congresses, seminars, and international events. Set in a breathtaking location, the Centre features four functional and modern conference rooms. The main hall, offering an enchanting lake view, is named after Nobel Prize winner Enrico Fermi, who held several physics lectures at Villa Monastero. |
