"Tremezzo - Home of Villa Carlotta" Tremezzo by tpal

Tremezzo was yet another town we had never heard of before arriving at Lake Como. It was the first place we had dinner in Italy. Not so much because we had sought out a well known ristorante but more for the fact that we were really tired and this little town had lots of parking! It eventually became our "go-to" place when we needed a quick place to eat without much fuss.

Located in Tremezzo is the centerpiece of this end of the lake. It would be difficult to read about Lake Como in any travel guide and not hear about Villa Carlotta. It is a grand structure built on a hill with magnificent views of Bellagio across the lake. The gardens are vast, covering about 14 acres with a wonderful variety of foliage set in several garden themes. Carol and I are avid gardeners so we spent a considerable amount of time wandering about. We were particularly stuck with varieties of annual plantings used as they seemed identical to those we routinely find in New York State. Familiar but still interesting in their massing and combinations.

The villa itself I personally found a little less inspiring. The exterior seemed oddly plain up close. I say "plain" rather than "simple" which I usually enjoy. It's almost as though it was designed to impress from afar. The interior certainly was fancy enough but it didn't seem to warrant the "No Photos" restrictions imposed. All in all, worth an inclusion as a Must See tip albeit not my first choice.