VILLA DEI CARDINALI

Villa dei Cardinali – Ossuccio – Lake Como

6+8 Bedrooms – Outdoor and Indoor Pool

Magnificent lakeside property with an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool, ideal for aficionados of art and history.

Location and Surrounding Area. Villa dei Cardinali was designed by Pellegrino Tibaldi, the exceptional Italian architect, sculptor and mural artist towards the end of the sixteenth century. It was built on commission for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio. The Italian garden was laid out by Marco Gallio in 1637 and the seventeenth century frescoes in the lobby were painted by the Recchi brothers. The property was then sold to Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini in 1787. The Cardinal was an art and literature collector, who enlarged and further embellished Villa dei Cardinali with the exquisite library as well as fountains, statues and other such aesthetic wonders in the gardens. During the Cardinal's time, the villa played host to many an illustrious intellectual or social gathering and it is said that the first coffee ever served in Italy was here at Villa dei Cardinali.

Ossuccio is a pretty town overlooking the lake with pastel-coloured houses and a historical centre dating back to Roman times. It contains all the necessary restaurants, bars, shops, banks and services that you might need during your stay and faces the tiny isle of Comacina, Lake Como's only island.

Bellagio is a short hop across the lake and is known locally as La Perla del Lago (the pearl of the lake) for its outstanding beauty, quality restaurants, local trattorias, chic shopping and of course the famous Italian homemade gelato ice cream. Ferries leave regularly for Bellagio from nearby Cadenabbia.

Celebrity-studded Como is just up the road and features numerous churches, works of art, museums, theatres, palaces and public gardens. For the walkers, there is a funicular which runs up to the village of Brunate, 700 metres above Como. It is the starting point for some spectacular walking tracks and has superb views of the Alps. Como is famous for its silk and you can either see the full silk-making processes or just sit in the lively piazzas and watch the world go by. Como also hosts various international speed boat races and becomes a magnet for the rich and famous.

Villa dei Cardinali is about 75 km from Malpensa and Linate international airports and 100 km from Bergamo international airport. It is located less than 10 km by car from the lakeside gem of Bellagio, about 20 km from the town of Como and just over an hour's drive into the centre of Milan. It is about 80 km from the motor racing circuit at Monza, which famously hosts the Italian Formula One Grand Prix. The nearest golf course is 10 km away.

The Property. Villa dei Cardinali is considered to be one of the most important properties on Lake Como. It has been recently renovated by the renown interior designer Jacques Garcia and the inside alone covers an area of more than 600 m². It hosts up to 12 guests in six luxurious double bedrooms, each with an elegant marble en suite bathroom. The palatial master bedroom suite and the sumptuous guest suite are both on the first floor, along with the central salon, the studio and the lake view gallery. The remaining four, equally impressive bedrooms are on the second floor at the top of the marble stairway. It goes without saying that all of the bedrooms are furnished with prestigious, antique furniture.

The ground floor houses three further magnificent salons with marble floors and original frescoes on the walls and ceilings. The front hall contains paintings by Torricelli in addition to the aforementioned seventeenth century frescoes by the Recchi brothers featuring cherubs and trompe l'oeil effects. There is a formal dining room leading off from the front hall and Durini's library housing works that many a world class scholar could only dream of. The kitchen is placed conveniently next to a covered terrace area with its own fireplace for al fresco dining and entertaining in all seasons. The spectacular indoor swimming pool is also located on the ground floor.

The harmonious Italian gardens go right to the water where the villa has a private pier for easy access to the lake and surrounding towns via boat. There is a large outdoor swimming pool set in the gardens overlooking the lake.

On the West Wing of the main house there are other 4 bedrooms available on request all with queen size bed. All these bedrooms share the bathroom with the rooms of the main wing.

Next door to villa dei Cardinali, close to the pool garden there is an annex, villa Carolina. This is a 300sqm house based on 2 levels with 4 ensuite bedrooms and a large living room available on request.

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