Villa Monastero

Villa Monastero - Varenna

Villa Monastero, in Varenna on the shore of Lake Como, represents on of the most interesting eclectic style residences in which the interventions carried out upon it have added functional and decorative elements without destroying the traces of the building's vicissitudes, thereby obtaining a villa with a garden of great scenic impact.

Villa Monastero was actually born from the continual restoration of the ancient Cistercian woman's St, Maria monastery from around 1208. It is probable that its foundation is to be placed in relation to the religious settlements of the opposite shore: with the St. Faustino and St Giovita monastery on Comacina Island, from which came the refugees of 1169. The monastery buildings remained the property of the Mornico family from 1569 to 1862, and during these three centuries the functional restructures many were. From the 2 nd half of the 19 th century, villa Monastero began to undergo a series of transformations - the work of successive owners (Genazzini, Maumary Seufferheld, Kees, and De Marchi).

Particularly interesting is the stairway, realized in multicoloured marble, ceramics and plasters; even the bath called pompeiano (Pompeian) or King Faruk's, is a singular document of this taste. In 1918 the property was confiscated and given to the Opera Nazionale Combattenti; was then sold to Dr. Marco De Marchi, who then donated it as the lstituto Italiano di Idrobiologia Marco De Marchi. Villa Monastero, ancient monastery and patrician abode, is today an intemational Conference Centre that offers the possibility at holding conferences in extremely suggestive surroundings. Villa Monastro is open every day to March at November, from the 9.00 at 18.00 o'clock, for information Tel. +039 0341 295450.