VILLA PIZZO
Villa Pizzo is one of the oldest noble houses built on the headland of Cernobbio’s gulf on Lake Como. This villa is a private property and currently belongs to the Volpi-Bassani family.
Villa Pizzo and all its annexed buildings can be viewed in their entirety only from the lake. It has a rich history and has housed many famous guests, including Alessandro Volta.
The villa, located just next to Villa d’Este, is notable for its elegance and stunning views of Lake Como thereby making it an ideal location for luxury weddings, business meetings, photoshoots, television and film footage. It also boasts of one of the longest lakeside gardens on Lake Como.
Discover Villa Pizzo in Cernobbio!
Discover Villa Pizzo
In a nutshell
Villa Pizzo is an elegant aristocratic house with a simple and geometric architecture.
The villa’s entire complex includes the main building and its annexes, greenhouses, the Volpi-Bassani family’s mausoleum and ten kilometers – 4+ miles – of boulevards and paths with Italian and English-style gardens containing a wide variety of exotic plants, hundreds of rose varieties, Japanese trees, orchids, seventeenth century staircases, statues and fountains.
The interiors of the Villa retain a majority of its neoclassical furnitures, thanks to Giovanni Battista Muggiasca (once bishop of Como).
Madame Musard (grand dame of the Second Empire) gave Villa Pizzo a feminine touch that still echoes in the villa’s exotic and sophisticated interiors containing handpainted ceiling frescoes depicting Pompeii-inspired stories, and pink and yellow hues which are still visible today.
An elegant funeral vase monument with the symbol of the electric battery dedicated to Alessandro Volta stands on the villa’s grounds.
Opening times
Entry price
Official website
Guided tours
Contacts
Opening times
It is only possible to visit the villa and its extensive gardens on a guided group tour (bookable on the official website) or during public events.
Entry price
According to the event. Guided tours are available for a fee. For more information check the official website or contact the villa directly.
Official website
Guided tours
Guided group tours are available only by reservation (please contact this email address for more info)
Contacts
Address: Via Regina 46, Cernobbio
Weddings
Phone: +393663504907
E-mail: wedding@villapizzo.com
Guided tours
Phone: +393311340676
E-mail: booking@villapizzo.com
Info
Phone: +393311340676
E-mail: info@villapizzo.com
You can reach Villa Pizzo by car from Como, taking the state highway ‘340 Via Regina (SS 340)‘.
Alternatively, you can also take the boat from Como to Cernobbio (15 minutes) and, from the pier, get to the villa in 20 minutes by foot.
Stays & experiences
Places to stay near Villa Pizzo
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Giovanni Muggiasca, merchant of Como, purchased the land between Cernobbio’s and Moltrasio’s borders in 1435 and built Villa Pizzo. In 1629, during the plague, the Muggiasca family took refuge in Villa Pizzo along with many others from nearby towns who gave structure to the villa and its gardens.
The villa housed many guests including Alessandro Volta – famous scientist who invented the electric battery.
Giovanni Battista Mugiasca, the last Mugiasca heir, bequeathed the villa to Sant’Anna Hospital when he died in 1842.
Later, Archduke Rainer of Austria became the villa’s owner and set the final layout for the English and Italian gardens with the help of Villoresi – a famous landscape architect. In 1848, the Viceroy left the villa.
In 1865, Madame Musard acquired the villa, re-decorated its interiors and also added touches of pink and yellow colors to the villa.
Since 1871, the Volpi-Bassani family own the villa. They built the family mausoleum and the new grand dock on the east of the villa.
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