Weekend In Villa Carlotta

Villa Carlotta, Tremezzo, Lake Como, Italy.

Whenever you visit a particular place and you admire their architecture particularly the houses in the City, do you become curious and wonder how do the people live there? We were able to satisfy our curiosity by visiting the Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, Lake Como, Italy. During a lake cruise along the scenic, beautiful and pristine Lake Como, we decided to purchase a ticket to visit the Villa Carlotta during the day. The Villa is one of the grand houses along Lake Como that is open to the public. We embarked on the ferry stop at Tremezzo then walked to the gates of Villa Carlotta to discover the Grand House and its wonderful gardens. The gardens at Lake Como is always included in the Top 10 Gardens of the World. We could not miss the chance to visit the Villa to discover who lived there, how they lived in the Villa and walk along their grand gardens overlooking the beautiful Lake Como and the surrounding mountains in this part of Northern Italy. 

Villa Carlotta was originally built for the Milanese Marquis Giorgio Clerici in 1690 facing the Italian Dolomites and also near town of Bellagio, in Lake Como. Then in 1801 the Villa was sold to a politician,Gian Battista Sommariva who further developed the Villa to become a centre for Art and improved the gardens to be one of the best along the lake. Then in 1843, Sommariva's heirs sold the Villa to Princess Marianne of Nassau, wife of Albert of Prussia. The couple gifted this Villa to their daughter Carlotta upon her marriage to Georg II of Saxen-Meiningen. Hence, the name Villa Carlotta. When we toured the Villa, we saw their public and private rooms filled with their art collections, Sculptures by Canova, Palamedes' Eros & Psyche, Terpsychore The Last Kiss of Romeo and Juliet, furniture, portraits and other knickknacks which gave us a glimpse of their lifestyle in the Villa. 

View of the Main Gate and the lower formal garden.
Royals and Aristocrats from Italy and all over Europe come to Lake Como for their Spring and Summer vacations to enjoy everything that Lake Como has to offer especially its fresh air, clear, sparkling water of the lake, Grand Villas and Grand Hotels in every town. 

Georg II was fond of Botany and further developed the garden with its wide variety of plants and flowers. 

The view from inside. Even in their Vacation homes, the Royals lived grand lives. 

In the garden, there are potted plants too.  In the far distance, you will see the Italian Alps some still covered with snow. 

The town behind me is Bellagio. From Como, the ferry stops here in Tremezzo then the next stop is Bellagio. It is about a two hour Scenic Ferry ride from the town of Como to Bellagio. There is an Express boat which takes about forty five minutes from Tremezzo to Como. We purchased the ferry tickets from the town of Como including the ticket to the Villa Carlotta. There is also a scenic drive to these towns driving along amazing long tunnels built through the Mountains. 

The park has a pathway surrounded by its collection of ferns, century old cedars and sequoias.

The park also has a Rock Garden planted with Roses. Other Spring flowers we saw were azaleas and Rhododendrons. 

Roses everywhere including on the rock wall.

Underneath the bitter orange groves. I love the fragrant smell of these orange groves together with the roses in the Rock Garden which were beside this alley of orange groves. It reminded me of  a Jo Malone scent.

Oh the beautiful town of Bellagio. Every town along Lake Como has its own character and beauty. We stayed here in Bellagio which you can read from my previous post, Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni and also my post about Weekend In Lake Como.
Visiting Lake Como was truly a place of heaven.

I hope you enjoyed our visits to various Spring gardens during this month of May.


I wish you all a Happy Weekend!

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Inspiring Emerald

An Italianate Garden, Lake Como, Italy.

According to Pantone, Emerald is the colour for 2013. This is just good news as the Emerald Green  represents elegance, hope, prosperity, nourishment and a sense of well-being. That's a good start for the New Year to be more conscientious and to take care of our Environment. Here are some images to inspire us and to show the beauty of Emerald in our Environment, in Fashion, Accessories, Food, Drink and most importantly in our Homes.

"Lively. Radiant. Lush… A color of elegance and beauty                      
                        that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony."
                                   - Pantone

A formal garden in the  El Escorial Palace, Madrid, Spain.

Gardens at the El  Escorial Palace, Madrid,Spain.
This year 2013 might inspire more Green gardens with a sense of formality, more structured and less flowers.

Cottage in Lake Rousseau, Muskoka, Ontario

An elegant table setting with Green Candle holders and vase.
Photo credit: Canadian House and Home Magazine

Green interiors for the home provides a sense of elegance and cosiness.
Photo credit: Elle Decor

A touch of Green. A side Chair upholstered in Green Louis Vuitton Monogram.
Photo credit: Elle Decor

Emerald tiled Bathroom.
Photo credit: Elle Decor

Asprey Croc Jewellery Box.
Photo Credit: Philippine Tatler Magazine.

An Emerald Gucci Gown. Isn't that so chic?

Reed Krakoff bag in Green.
Photo by Phil Oh

Prada in Green.
Photo credit: Tommy Ton.

Mulberry Alexa Bag in Green. 

Mulberry Bayswater Bag displayed in the Mulberry Brompton Rd. London Store.

Harrods Green. 

Vegetable Greens encourage us to eat healthy for our Well Being. 

Drinks in Green cans and bottles like the Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Perrier Sparkling Water.

Weekend Outfit:  Saint Laurent Black Wool Coat, Stripe Navy and White top and Green Cropped Pants from Joe Fresh, Green Celine Luggage Tote bag and Black leather Newbury Rag & Bone Boots.

May you all have a wonderful Weekend!

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Discover A Grand Hotel in Bellagio

Entrance to the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni.

This is our final destination during our cruise in Lake Como, the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, the only five star luxury Hotel in the town of Bellagio, Lake Como. This Villa was built in 1850s in the Neo-classical style for a Milanese Aristocratic family. This hotel is beauty in itself. Upon arrival, I was so excited and loved both the outdoor view and the Villa itself. Wait, till you see the swimming pool and the outdoor restaurant with the majestic views of the Italian Alps and Lake Como. Then inside the hotel was equally majestic, opulent  and elegant setting too. Service was impeccable including in their One Star Michelin, Mistral Ristorante. This hotel has been awarded since 2004 by the Travel & Leisure Magazine for "Top 50 Hotels in Europe" and in 2005 by Conde Nast Traveller Magazine for "Top 5 Resorts in Europe."  In the evening, there were the stars and the lamp posts giving some light in the dark horizon. When you get a chance to visit Lake Como, stop by in the beautiful town of Bellagio to visit this Grand Hotel and also explore its hillside town filled with shops and restaurants.

In the entrance, a greeting of lovely spring roses with the majestic view of the Alps and Lake Como.

Then an exciting view of the Villa's Swimming pool overlooking the lake and the Alps.

The Villa's facade with the view of the restaurant on the Main Floor and the swimming pool below.

A sandy lounge with swimming access to the lake.


Al Fresco Lunch with a View.

A closer view of the Ferry from our lunch table.

Endless mountain ranges and the lake.

My lunch of Tagliatelle pasta with fish lake sauce.

Caesar salad and Spaghetti Bolognese.

Our view.

Exploring the hillside town of Bellagio. Climbing up the stairs to reach the top, with shops along the way.

Bellagio Ferry Dock.


 "I shall return."
  -General Douglas MacArthur famous quote upon leaving the Philippines during WWII.


Enter to win my blog's Michael Kors Bag Giveaway.

Have a fabulous week ahead!

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Weekend in Lake Como

Lake Como and view of the Italian Alps.

Before the official end of summer, I would like to share with you here my trip to Lake Como. We visited Lake Como last year during the Spring season.

The Lago di Como, which is commonly known as Lake Como, was founded by the Romans in 196 BC. The town shared Milan's fate under the Spanish and Austrian domination, becoming part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1859.  Lake Como is  located North of Milan, about 30 minutes by train which usually travels from Milan to Zurich, Switzerland. The first stop on that train ride is the Town of Como. From the train station, we rode the bus that brought us directly to the Piazza where we purchased our tickets to ride the ferry.  The lake is shaped as an inverted Y. The ferry travelled from the Town of Como to all the way to the other end, in the town of Lecco. The whole trip took four hours by ferry as it stopped in every town along the lake. We decided to take the two hours ferry ride and travelled from Como to Bellagio to stay for the weekend. There was also a speed ferry that will only take forty five minutes travel from Como to Bellagio which will save time during a day trip to the lake. Lake Como is a beautiful and magical place to visit. Every stop on our ferry ride showed us endless views  of the Italian Alps, the villages along the lake and a views of  the road tunnels in the mountains. Lake Como is very aristocratic, grand, majestic, exclusive and old money. As you can see in the Grand Villas and Grand Hotels that I will share here today. As for me, Lake Como is the most beautiful lake in the world that I have ever visited.

The Ferry. 

Views of endless Italian Alps, some still with ice glaciers on top.

Some towns on the mountains along the lake.

Grand Villas and Gardens

The Gardens of Lake Como are not to be missed. Especially for garden lovers. It is a beautiful  and creative landscape created beside the Grand Villas. The gardens are mostly green with some hints of flowers here and there.

I did not see George Clooney's Villa here. But his Villa is on one of the towns here in Lake Como. It was formerly owned by the Heinz (Ketchup) family. Apparently, it is not easy to buy in a property here at Lake Como. It is still a  very exclusive place. Some of the Villas are still owned by the same Italian Aristocratic families. 

Front view of the Grandest Villa in Lake Como.

Rear View of the Grandest Villa in Lake Como.  Bellissima!

Villa Carlota is a 18th Century Villa that is open to the public. It is famous for its terraced gardens and sculptures inside by Italian Artist Canova, including a copy of the Cupid and Psyche. We visited this Villa during our stay in Bellagio. 

Terraced front garden of Villa Carlota overlooking the Lake Como and the Alps.

Grand Hotels and Conference Centres.

View of Villa Olmo in the horizon.

Villa Erba located in Cernobbio is now a Conference Centre. 

View of the swimming pool of Villa Erba.

View of  Grand Hotel Villa D'Este, Cernobbio built by Pellegrino Tibaldi in 1570 for the Gallio family is now a luxury hotel where Royalty and actors stay. The Villa is also famous for the Italianate gardens. View of the houses above the cliffs.

A hotel by the lake with a lake side swimming pool. 

Grand Hotel Tremezzo in Tremezzo, Lake Como.

Swimming pool and pool lounge of Grand Hotel Tremezzo. The view is majestic and the swimming pool and pool lounge so luxurious. What else can we ask for?  Maybe a glass of  Bellini or Negroni cocktail while sunbathing with this view? 

Spotted some hotel guests on the way to check-in.

A lakeside village and view of Isola Comacina.

Town of Como.

Facade of The Duomo begun in 1396 designed with a Gothic facade and interior was completed in the 1500s. 

Ciao Lake Como! Back to Milano.


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Have a wonderful weekend!

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