villa monastero

We didn't go into the Museum but the gardens and views of the lake are spectacular! Took so many photos that will be gracing the walls of our house when we return home. There is such a peaceful air about the Villa.

We didn't go through the villa itself (if it was even open), but the gardens were just beautiful, even in very early spring. The views are stunning. A lovely way to spend an afternoon.

We really enjoyed Varenna and the gardens along with the waterfront walks. It was also a wonderful launch point for the rest of Lake Como. We took the train up from Milan and had an awesome day of adventure with this place being a key stop.

The most amazing Villa we have seen around Lake Como and we did see before this one also Carlotta and Balbianello. The gardens are just wow and I fell in love with it from the moment I stepped in. Had a coffee and a croissant in the gardens with beautiful views, my little one fed the ducks and their babies, run around, played in the fountain, took lots of beautiful pictures and we just didn`t want to go back home, as it was our last day of holiday and it looks like we saved the best for the last day and ohh.. what great memories! This villa is not to be missed!

The villa itself was closed to tours on the day we visited, only the gardens were open. The gardens are immense, stretching along the lakefront between Varenna’s main town and the little suburb of Fiumelatte. They are bordered on the east by the main road, from which it is isolated by a stone wall and a change in elevation which places most of the grounds adjoining the road a dozen or more feet below it. The remainder of the grounds slope away to the lake below, after joining a flat terrace of land which provides a park-like promenade filled with all variety of foliage, garden structures, and statuary. There are two main walks, the low road and the high road. The low road runs mostly level along the lake front, passing in front of the villa and its cluster of structures at the center of the garden the length of the villa grounds. The high roads weaves in and out of the upper part of the slope, sometimes running along the retaining wall that separates the garden from the main road, sometimes breaking away from the road to pass this or that feature. Stairs and paths throughout the park connect the two roads.We largely had the grounds of the villa to ourselves. We would see, on occasion, other couples strolling the grounds, but there were few of them. We took our time, resting here and there on benches or lingering a while in the stone structures looking out at the lake. It was a fine day, with the villa providing a romantic backdrop for our tour of the region. The flowers were quite beautiful, and the landscaping excellent. The views of the lake are excellent. Well worth the visit!

Very interesting, unique. Beautiful flowers, very peaceful. A pleasant walk through the village To a beautiful place.

Worth a visit, pleasant but not the most stunning on the Lake but Varenna is a pretty town and lunch at Hotel Du Lac en route to gardens makes for a delightful few hours.

Varenna is a beautiful village well worth a visit - in fact Varenna could serve as a wonderful hub for your entire Lake Como trip. But Villa Monastero is not well maintained or worth seeing. And certainly not as special as the other available Villas (Melzi, Carlotta, Barbianello). The views are great but the grounds are poorly maintained - grasses are trampled, shrubs are thin and sparce, and pathways eroded. This is in great contrast to the other public Villas on the Lake. Also, the main artery / road runs just above the gardens and you can hear and see the road. Monastero is really just a narrow thin spit of land between the Lake and the main road. Its just not worth the time or money. Goto to the other Villas / Gardens!

Stunning location with beautiful gardens. It also has a cafe where you can food drinks wine etc. we enjoyed a glass of winning overlooking the lake...breathtakingly!

This was our favourite garden in Varenna and a definite must to see - so relaxing to wander beside the lake around the gardens and just take in the beautiful scenery with the lake as backdrop. We were fortunate to visit on a beautiful, clear day and enjoyed sitting in the sun at the lake's edge with a coffee watching the fish at play.

Easy to walk to from Casa Stacy-beautiful vistas of Lake Como.We took a picnic lunch and truly enjoyed

We were staying in middle of Lake Como for 10 days. This Garden of Villa Monastero in Varenna is well worth a visit, in the top 3 gardens of our tour, Melzi and Carlotta were the other two tops. Varenna is a lovely town to visit.

If you visit Varenna, this is certainly one of the must-see locations. Unfortunately on the day we visited, the villa was closed, but we paid 5 Euros and trooped in to view the gardens instead. What a beautiful and relaxing spot, with magnificent views over the lake and to the towns on the other side. The weather was in our favor on the day we went, so we had dry benches on which to stop, rest, and admire the vista. There was an amazing variety of trees and plants and I was delighted to see oranges and grapefruits hanging on the trees, a sight which somehow invokes the essence of Italy and the Mediterranean. And I found it amazing to know that they are still there right into October. At the very furthest part of the path is a charming little folly from which to observe the curved lakefront gardens back to the villa. The only thing that spoils this idyllic garden is the fact that the main road thunders by just above you in certain areas. Nevertheless, this is a tremendous spot for relaxing and enjoying the views. And there is even a cafe and toilets too!

View and architecture were stunning, Walkway is picturesque but exercise caution getting off the pathway. Roots and vines may become trip hazards for folks with ambulatory issues.

The admission was free to this large italian garden containing many remarkable species. For 50 cents a complete botanical guide was available. In addition admission was free to the huge villa which was originally furnished.