It was another foggy, gray morning with a slight drizzle. Imagine that! So we again had a slow moving morning trying to wait out the weather and avoid another day of wet jeans and shoes. Once the rain stopped we made our way to the ferry to catch a ride to Lenno. We had a bit of a wait so we popped into a restaurant nearby for a quick bite (which is actually a nearly impossible task in Italy, they are all about the lingering meals, which are great unless you need to catch a ferry or a train). Anyhow, this place was quick by Italian standards and was the best meal I had thus far. It was a really simple ravioli with ricotta and spinach covered in butter and parmesan.......so good! It was three raviolis but was plenty because of the richness. I'll probably be searching for ravioli that beats it for the rest of my life. My search starts now.
After our lunch we boarded the ferry and headed toward Lenno and the Villa del Balbianello. The Villa was actually a 20 minute walk uphill (its either uphill or downhill here, there is no flat, and if there is, its short lived). The walk was nice through Lenno along the shore and the locals were having remote control speed boat races in the small harbor so that was fun to watch while we walked.
At the Villa you can either do just the garden tour or spend a bit more and tour the house, we decided to tour the house after hearing good things about it from a couple travelers we'd met a long the way and we are glad we did.
The interior of the house was just beautiful and actually in some ways the interior reminded me of a place Gramma Squeak and Grampa Sandy would live. It was for the most part very comfortably decorated but in a very classic and timeless manor (aside from some really crazy crystal chandeliers). He bought the place in the seventies, so it could have gone horribly wrong especially if he was the type to follow trends.
The last owner who died in 1988 was the Italian CEO of the first grocery chain formed in Italy (His Dad was the founder). Count Guido Monzino (1928-1988) had a pretty amazing life. He climbed the Matterhorn, and had expeditions through Patagonia, the North Pole, the Himalayas and was the first Italian to climb Mt. Everest. One portion of the Villa houses just maps and journals from his travels.
He had a love for classic english wood furnishings, and there were amazing pieces throughout, nothing gaudy, just clean, classic and elegant lines. All the chairs and couches in the house looked comfy (down cushions) but you could tell they were covered in fine fabrics, rich leather, or soft velvet. The walls were covered in simple masculine silk wallpaper. There was artwork everywhere, mostly old prints of the lake scenery of Lake Como, which I loved. The Villa also housed the largest collection of glass paintings in the world, he had over 250. Some museums in England only have two or three at most. Monzino also collected artifacts from his travels or just bought items he liked from Auction. He had one piece in a book case that was 4000 years old. The guy was doing all right.
In the more formal sitting rooms it was a bit more fancy. In one room he had walls brought in from a castle that was being torn down and had them fitted into the room. Keeping them as intact as possible.
In the attic of the Villa he kept all the awards and items from his explorations. the dog sled from his North Pole journey was highlighted in the center with glass book cases surrounding it with memorabilia and photos from each of his expeditions. There was even the tusk of a Narwhal.
Mr. Monzino donated the Villa and every item in the Villa and on the property to the National Trust of Italy. He was buried at the Villa. The interior of the house has remained almost untouched since his passing aside from making adjustments so tours can travel through it.
They made no mention of Bond or Star Wars, but they didn't need to, this guy's life was a movie.
Unfortunately, I could not take any pictures inside, it was $5 dollars a photo. Definitely a good deterrent for me. Try to google it or him, I promise you its worth it.
Here are the shots from the garden:
Brian noticed the TI pattern in the walkway up to the Villa. Nice!
Way, way, way before Monzino owned the Villa it was used by Monks, then it was used as a Cardinal's second house. Before Monzino owned it an American General and his family owned it, they kept the exterior intact, but inside its actually the kitchen and breakfast room.
A bald faced Brian, thrilled as you can see.
James and Vesper collect his gambling winnings on this part of the lawn.
A scene from Casino Royale was filmed here. This tree and two others on the property take three weeks to trim into this shape each year. They build scaffolding underneath and they trim it from underneath.
James was on this lawn in recovery mode after his brutal beating in Casino Royale.
The building shown here is the map room.
Even though the sun wasn't shining for us today, visiting the Villa was an amazing way to finish our vacation and we actually took a lot more from it than we expected. Cheers to Mr. Monzino!
