This historic, Italian top luxury villa to rent is considered one of the most important and impressive ones of the Lake Como area. The majestic Villa Balbiano faces its beautiful garden directly on the lake, delimiting the boundaries with a low wall that serves as a stage to enjoy the wonderful scenery. Next to it lies a private pier, making the villa reachable by land or lake. The villa is located in Ossuccio, a small village located on the South branch of Lake Como, twenty kilometres away from Como.
In 1500 the villa belonged to the noble family of count Giovio, the villa has had many vicissitudes, passing ownership to Cardinal Durini, who in 1600 enriched the interior with frescoes of famous painters of the time and extended the garden to the edge of the lake, enriching it with statues and fountains. The cardinal’s sensibility for arts and letters, patron and collector, made the villa an authentic place of delight.
In 1700 Villa Balbiano became a place of frequent visits of excellency and frivolous events, such as concerts, parties, and social events of high society. But it was also a place for meetings between writers and thinkers.
Nowadays Villa Balbiano provides you with all the charm of the past, with its walls adorned with spectacular Baroque frescoes, and with all the modern comforts.
The palatial interior contains 6460 square meters, divided over three floors recently fully renovated by the French decorator Jacques Garcia.
The main entrance leads to the magnificent lobby decorated with original frescoes, surrounded by a dining room, a library, a winter garden and three salons. All these rooms have marble floors and original frescoes on the walls and ceilings. Adjacent is the kitchen and a covered terrace with a fireplace for outdoor dining.
On the first floor, the lake view corridor leads to the studio, the master suite and the guest suites which surround the Cathedral ceiling Central Salon.
A marble staircase leads to the second-floor accommodations, four luxurious en suite bedrooms with their marble bathrooms, overlooking the Cathedral ceiling Central Salon. Each bathroom is different from the others depending on the type of marble, coming from all parts of the world.
All the rooms are beautifully furnished with antiques of rare beauty and preciousness.
Admirable achievement of a timeless aestheticism which recognizes the universal rules, the garden is divided by green walls and smaller areas, where you can stand apart from the rest of the group and just relax by enjoying the view of the lake. One area is dedicated to the fine blue iris and another offers a vegetable garden available for guest’s use. Very few other Italian places offer such environmental variety. In a few kilometres, one goes from the mountains to the lake, from alpine valleys to small hills.
A boat can be rented to enjoy the charms of the lake and can be parked in the private garage.
The nearest major international airports are Milan-Malpensa and Milan-Linate (both approximately an hour drive away). For private aviation, the closest airport is Lugano in Switzerland (approximately forty-five minutes by car).
main villa sleeps 12
ground floor
entrance, small chapel furnished with ancient paintings, magnificent lobby with original frescoes, sofa and piano, two salons with marble floors and original frescoes on the walls and ceilings, library, fully equipped kitchen with exit to the covered terrace with working fireplace for outdoor dining, spacious dining room, indoor heated swimming pool.
first floor
lake view gallery leading to the studio.
bedroom 1: master bedroom with walk-in closet, ensuite bathroom with bath tub and shower, exit to the private terrace of the master bedroom.
bedroom 2: double bedroom with ensuite marble bathroom with shower.
Small kitchenette ideal for coffee or tea preparation.
second floor
bedroom 3: double bedroom with ensuite marble bathroom with bathtub and shower.
bedroom 4: double bedroom with ensuite marble bathroom with bathtub and shower.
bedroom 5: double bedroom with ensuite marble bathroom with bathtub and shower.
bedroom 6: double bedroom, walk-in closet, ensuite marble bathroom with bathtub and shower.
All bedrooms are overlooking the Cathedral ceiling Central Salon and are beautifully furnished with antiques.
Small kitchenette ideal for coffee or tea preparation.
outdoor
outdoor swimming pool with lake view, fenced in garden and vegetable garden for guests’ use, shipyard and three guests bathrooms.
notes
the villa has beach/water access and is walkable to a town. The villa is equipped with a lift therefore usable by wheelchair users, but at the entrance hall there are a few stairs, this can be solved upon request. Small pets are allowed upon request. Together with Villa Balbiano, it is possible to rent Villino nearby the villa; Villino has 4 double and 1 single bedroom, and the bedrooms are more standard than those of Villa Balbiano in terms of décor and style.
air conditioning A/C
