We're going to be in Varenna for a few days this fall and would like to visit one villa on the lake. Right now I'm trying to decide between Villa Carlotta and Villa del Balbianello. Of the two, which do you prefer and why? Are there other villas that are outstanding that outpace these two?
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8 posts
We visited Villa Carlotta 2 weeks ago while staying in Varenna. Easy ferry ride. Wonderful home and the gardens are spectacular. You can spend lots of time wandering. Did not make it to Villa del Banianello.
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Tampa, FL, USA
1054 posts
I pondered the same question last september. From pictures I saw online google images to me Villa Balbianello looked nicer then Villar Carlotta. A sceen from Star Wars and James Bond Casino Royale were shot there too. We ended up going to Villa Balbianello and I enjoyed it. We took the ferry to Lenno. Instead of taking the small ferry boat to the Villa, it was morning and not too hot, we hiked from Lenno to the Villa. We did take the small ferry boat leaving the villa back to Lenno though. The villa itself was nice, it recently was home to Guido Monzino who was an explorer. There is a lot of old explorer books in his office, and sevearl rooms are like a museum with artifcats from his expediations to south pole, everestt and others. That combined with the beautiful landscaping and the grounds, I enjoyed our visit.