Villa Monastero is a villa located in Varenna in the Province of Lecco and located on the shores of Lake Como. The complex was initially a Cistercian female monastery founded in the late twelfth century which at the beginning of the seventeenth century was transformed by the Valsassinese Mornico family and subsequently renovated in an eclectic style, in particular between 1897 and 1909 by its last owner Walter Kees. The villa houses a garden botanist, a house museum and is a convention center.
Villa Monastero History
Villa Monastero, owned by the Province of Lecco, is one of the main attractions of the area for its strategic position in terms of historical-landscape-environmental and for the different services provided by the compendium;
The central nucleus is represented by the House Museum which, in 2004, obtained the museum recognition of the Lombardy Region and is entirely accessible to the public with its exhibition itinerary which is spread over 14 rooms.
This historic residence owes its origins to the presence of an ancient Cistercian monastery built at the end of the XII century and transformed during the seventeenth century into a holiday residence. From that moment the Villa was always not only inhabited, but also intensely frequented by prominent personalities of the Italian and European cultural and artistic panorama. By exploring its 14 fully furnished rooms, the visitor has the opportunity to dive into the past of the dwelling, observing the refinement of the decorations and furnishings, the richness of the materials and the variety of styles.
In this historic Larian home there is also a Convention Center known internationally for the physics lessons held in 1954 by the Nobel Prize Enrico Fermi; every year the Italian Physical Society organizes its courses at Villa Monastero.
The Villa, with its multiple choices, offers institutions, universities, companies, associations and research centers the opportunity to hold conferences, seminars, training courses, workshops and other cultural events in an extremely suggestive location.
The Villa is surrounded by a botanical garden that extends for almost 2 kilometers along the lake front from Varenna to Fiumelatte and annually has almost 80,000 visitors, offering opportunities for recreation and learning thanks to the presence of numerous and rare native and exotic tree species that allow you to admire, in almost all seasons of the year, an explosion of colors, shapes and perfumes.
The context of Villa Monastero offers the opportunity to develop and deepen multiple didactic activities that are divided into visits, workshops and in-depth activities dedicated to school groups.
In the Villa there is also a specially equipped exhibition space intended to host temporary exhibitions.
The beauty and exclusivity of the rooms mean that Villa Monastero lends itself both as a wedding location and as a photographic set for internationally known fashion and tourism promotion magazines.