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Grand Hotel Tremezzo Palace is situated in an extraordinary scenery of villas, once summer residences of historical aristocratic Lombard families, with their luxuriant gardens, the botanic one of Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, the landscape one of Villa Balbianello in Lenno and the romantic one of Villa Melzi in Bellagio.
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Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini built Villa Balbianello at the end of the XVIII century. It is situated at the far end of a promontory, which reaches far into the lake, almost in front of Bellagio.
Today it shows itself as its last proprietor, the explorer Guido Monzino, renovated it with a rich collection of Chinese, African and pre-Columbian art, precious furniture from the English and French eighteen-century and a small museum with documents and reminders of his explorations.
But the real masterpiece is the panoramic terraced garden dominated by the elegant loggia composed of three arcades, which rises up on the highest point of the promontory. In this enchanting place many scenes of famous films have been filmed, the last one was the engagement between the two main characters of "Star Wars".
The villa is reachable over the water thanks to a private motorboat service.
Distance from the Hotel: 5 km
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Villa Melzi is one of the most famous Lake villas. It was conceived as a summer home in a neoclassical style typical of the first decades of the XVIII century. The architect Giocondo Albertolli planned it for Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Vice president of the Italian Republic and great friend of Napoleon.
Villa Melzi is surrounded by an enchanting garden directly on the lake, which was realized through a vast ground removal and was adapted through terraces and small rises. In this garden you can find every element typical of a noble garden: the cloister, the chapel by Vittorio Nesti, in which is conserved the Francesco Melzi's tomb, two Egyptian statues on a basement from the XIV and XIII century B.C., the small lake with water lilies, the pond with Cupid's statue and another noble chapel with a Renaissance portal by Bramante.
The neoclassical inside of the villa preserves many precious art pieces; there are stucco walls decorated by Albertolli, paintings by Appiani, sculptures by Canova and frescos by Giuseppe Bossi, the liveliest painter among the Lombard neoclassical ones. The park of the villa is open from spring to autumn.
Distance: in front of the Hotel, on the other Lake shore.
Reachable from Tremezzo by boat or by hydrofoil and from Cadenabbia by ferryboat, in ten minutes crossing.
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Villa del Grumello is the new pearl Villa of Como downtown, 5-minute walking and directly connected to Villa Olmo, the most famous Villa of Como downtown. It has been recently restored by the Chamber of Commerce of the city of Como in cooperation with the "Associazione Villa del Grumello".
In particular, until Sunday, June 28th 2009 Villa del Grumello hosts "Open Mind(s)" an innovative exhibition that intends to pay homage to the "open minds" of the Como art collectors.
Open Mind(s) focuses on works collected from 1978 up to today, because 1978 can be considered the beginning of a new epoch that lasted almost until the end of the following decade; an age that was marked by a radical change of aesthetics that brought to a rediscovery of the past and of traditional techniques and themes, leading to a figurative or abstract lyrical painting.
The exhibition presents some of the protagonists of the trends that have marked the best avant-gardes since the end of the Seventies and those of the more experimental research that look the lead during the Nineties.
The exhibition extends its overview to the most recent international trends also including works by artists who have a stronger connection to Como and its territories.
Open Mind(s) works and masterpieces are presented in Villa del Grumello and in its neighbour Villa Sucota, ownership of the "Fondazione Ratti" that also hosts the silk best historical collections of Como.
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Unique on the Lake Como, populated from the Roman period to the Middle Ages, Isola Comacina is one important amenity of the zone. For archaeology and ancient art lovers it is possible to visit the rests of the baptistery and of Sant'Eufemia basilica, dating back to the VIII century, and the Baroque church of San Giacomo.
Trips by boat to the island are daily organized. On the island there is the "Locanda dell'Isola Comacina" as well, a typical restaurant where, at the end of every meal, the innkeeper burns some coffee according to an ancient ritual, and offers it to his guests.
Distance from the Hotel: 8 km.
Reachable by boat from Tremezzo or by the typical Lake boat called "Lucia" from Sala Comacina.
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Universally renowned as the world's capital of silk, Como and the surrounding areas kept this typical tradition alive over centuries. The Silk Museum opened in 1990 to present, while there was still the opportunity, a true account of the history of the silk industry in Como.
It is a tangible sign of the continuity, from past to present, of an industry that operates an absolute world-wide monopoly. The Museum covers an area of about 900 square metres and is located in the same building as the textile school, the Setificio.
Web site: www.museosetacomo.com
