Stories from Lake Como
Villa del Balbianello: from explorers to Star Wars
Villa del Balbianello occupies the tip of the Lavedo peninsula, in Lenno. Terraced gardens and a three-arched loggia make it immediately recognizable.
From Cardinal Durini to Guido Monzino
Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini had the villa built in 1787 on the remains of a Franciscan monastery. The last private owner was the explorer Guido Monzino, who collected maps, books, and souvenirs of his expeditions here.
Upon Monzino's death in 1988, the villa passed to the FAI, which protects it and opens it to the public. The interiors tell both of the eighteenth-century taste and the passion for exploration.
Films shot at Balbianello
In 2002, the loggia and gardens became the residence of Varykino on the planet Naboo in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. In 2006, they hosted James Bond in Casino Royale.
The villa also appears in Piccolo mondo antico by Mario Soldati and in Un mese al lago. Cinema has amplified a beauty already built by the relationship between architecture and landscape.
