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Villa Monastero
Villa Monastero is one of Varenna’s best-known landmarks. It's now a museum showcasing a collection of items left by its owners
Villa Monastero’s history spans nine centuries, making it one of Varenna’s best-known landmarks, despite its current eclectic style from renovations in the 19th century.
Built around 1100 AD as a convent for Cistercian nuns, the building has had many owners and purposes through the centuries and each one left its mark through various renovation projects which have given the villa its unique style.
The villa is now a museum showcasing an amazing collection of items left by its various owners, an incredible record of four centuries of history.
From the 19th century, the villa was a hub for prominent artists, musicians, writers and actors and to this day the stimulating artistic and cultural climate of the era is in the air.
The villa is also surrounded by a beautiful botanical garden, home to plants from every corner of the globe, which flourish thanks to the temperate climate of the lake.
