11 addresses for villas and parks

Castles, parks and villas. Where the fascination of the past is brought back to life. Amidst towers, frescoes, ballrooms.

Lombardy has a very rich history and it is still possible to appreciate it inside the fascinating residences of the well off people of this region.

A blast from the past to live, once again, the charm of the old times, losing yourself in those beautiful places where culture and nature join together in harmony.

1. In the Oratorio di Villa Suardi, in Trescore Balneario (Bergamo), face to face with the naïve beauty of the frescoes by Lotto.

2. Where life is inimitable: at the Vittoriale degli Italiani in Gardone Riviera (Brescia), in the museum house of the poet D'Annunzio.

3. The enchantment of a home with a literary vocation, which was the set of Star Wars. The address: Villa del Balbianello in Tremezzina (Como).

4. At the court of Leonardo's "Dama con l'ermellino" at Villa Medici del Vascello in San Giovanni in Croce (Cremona).

5. Agaves, African palms: two kilometres of exotic vegetation on the lake side in the gardens of Villa Monastero in Varenna (Lecco).

6. A journey through the history of bread and Lombard agriculture in the Musei del Castello Bolognini in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano (Lodi), where Giacomo Casanova once slept. 

7. Among nature, leisure and history. In the magnificent Palazzina Gonzaghesca of Bosco della Fontana, in Marmirolo (Mantua).

8. Façade by Piermarini and eclectic furnishings: all the beauty of Villa Cusani Tittoni Traversi in Desio (Monza e Brianza).

9. From aristocratic residence of Gian Galeazzo II to cultural centre. The Castello di Belgioioso (Pavia) and its many lives.

10. A plunge in the 14th century. In Montagna in Valtellina (Sondrio), the Castel Grumello is a single fortress made up of two twin buildings.  

11. Among frescoes and rose gardens, a baroque ‘garden of wonders' featuring a theatre, stairs, statues and fountains surrounds Villa Della Porta Bozzolo in Casalzuigno (Varese).