Villa Carlotta - The neoclassical gem
AN EMBRACE BETWEEN NATURE AND ART
Rising from the picturesque shores of lake Como, with sweeping views across to Bellagio and its surrounding valleys emerges the noble façade of Villa Carlotta. A 17th century architectural gem, the villa bears testament to over three hundred years of history, embracing nature and art within its grounds.
Image source: BB (@sistinestyling)
Once the lakeside residence of the Milanese marquis Giorgio Clerici, over the centuries, the estate has been home to everyone from Napoleonic politicians to princesses and dukes, each of whom contributed to embellishing the architecture and design of the villa.
In the early 1800s, under the ownership of banker Giovanni Sommariva, Villa Carlotta became home to a dazzling collection of paintings and sculptures, reflecting Sommariva’s deep interest in the arts. Without a doubt, The Last Kiss by Franesco Hayez, depicting Romeo and Juliet locked in an embrace, remains one of the most well-known paintings that hang on the walls of Villa Carlotta today.
As generations of ownership unfolded, by the late 1800s the villa belonged to Duke Georg II of SaxeMeiningen. His passion for botany led to the enrichment of the villa’s infamous botanical gardens, as he added a great variety of rare and exotic species of flora within the Italianate layout. The gardens are defined by symmetry and geometry, punctuated by the delightful tinkle of fountains and cascading water features.
Image source: Elena M. Caggiola (@elecogg)