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Villa Monastero

Varenna's convent-turned-villa, its garden stretching along the lake and its hall hosting Nobel laureates.

  • Varenna
  • Garden
Plan your visit
Where
Varenna
Best for
Lakeside botanical garden
Allow
1 hr 30 min

A Cistercian convent founded at the end of the twelfth century became, after its 1567 suppression, the private estate that Paolo Mornico purchased in 1569, and the Leipzig architect Walter Kees remade its interiors between 1897 and 1909 in an eclectic Nordic style still visible in the fourteen furnished rooms open to the public today.

The De Marchi family of Milan donated the property in 1936, and the gardens opened in 1940. Since 1953, Villa Monastero has hosted the International School of Physics, drawing more than thirty Nobel laureates over the decades, Enrico Fermi among them, to lecture in its conference hall. A museum wing added in 2003 displays scientific instruments from physicist Giovanni Polvani's collection alongside the villa's original furniture.

Five things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. The lakeside botanical gardenLaid out under Walter Kees, with later expansion

    A long shoreline park with cypresses, exotic plants and paths overlooking the water.Along the shore of Lake Como

  2. The neoclassical semicircular templeEarly 20th century, 1904

    A small semicircular temple with a Rococo-style stair, one of several ornamental touches in the eclectic garden.In the park

  3. The Clemency of Titus marble groupGiovan Battista Comolli, 1830

    A marble sculpture group made for another garden and later bought by Walter Kees for this one.In the park

  4. The Nordic-style rooms of the museum houseWalter Kees of Leipzig, 1897 to 1909

    Fourteen rooms keep their original decoration and furnishings, in an eclectic Nordic style.Inside the villa

  5. Giovanni Polvani’s scientific instruments20th century

    Optical, electronic and mechanical instruments that link the villa to its second life as a home for international physics schools.Museum wing of the villa

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Booking
No booking needed
Time needed
1 hr 30 min
Best time
A weekday morning in late spring, when the garden's Mediterranean plants are flowering
Getting there
On the lakeside promenade in Varenna, a short walk from the town's train station and ferry landing on Lake Como.

Walk the full lakeside path rather than just the villa's immediate grounds: the garden stretches for two kilometers, and the far end is far quieter than the section near the entrance.

Official website
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Good to know

How long should you spend at Villa Monastero?

About an hour and a half covers the rooms of the museum house and a slow walk through the lakeside garden. The garden alone can take most of an hour. Add time for lunch or a coffee on the Varenna waterfront.

Is Villa Monastero worth visiting?

Yes, it is one of the most interesting villas on Lake Como because it mixes a former Cistercian convent, a Nordic-style interior and a garden that still hosts international physics schools. More than thirty Nobel laureates have lectured here. It is quieter than the big-name villas.

Can you combine Villa Monastero with Varenna in one day?

Easily. The villa stands on the lakeside promenade in Varenna, a short walk from the station and the ferry landing. Do the garden in the morning and wander the old town and waterfront in the afternoon.

More to see nearby

Same city first, then the nearest across the region.

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