Our Adventure in Italy & Lake Como

The Two-Thousand Year Quest to Build The Perfect Italian Villa

Pictured above is Bellagio. For thousands of years it has been among the most desirable (and priciest) real estate in Italy. Most of the hill is currently owned by the Rockefeller family foundation and the small villa in the center is built on the site where the Roman general, Pliny the Elder, had his summer retreat. Born in nearby Verona, he retired here to write the Western world’s first natural history, as well as our first encyclopedia. In April of 79AD Vesuvius erupted and he hurried down to Naples to study the great natural phenomena. He arrived just in time to witness the sixth and final explosion and was buried in the lava.

During the Renaissance Popes, Cardinals and the great families of Milan, Florence and Venice arranged marriages alliances and bought and sold and fought over the great estates that were built here. There are still hundreds of Villas put up by these aristocrats and some are still owned by the same families for more than 500 years.

Castles and Concerts invites you to join us in Bellagio at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, a luxurious neoclassical villa which has been a Grand Hotel since 1873. It has much of the original paintings, sculptures and Belle Epoque fittings. However it has been lovingly and meticulously renovated into a five star masterpiece.

While on the lake, we plan to indulge ourselves much like the lucky few have for centuries. Coffee on the terrace, a sumptuous breakfast, a choice of activities for the day, and lunch at neighboring villas will be made even more delightful by a concert and gorgeous views. Our hotel has all the amenities we could ask for, including a spa, gym, pool and tennis courts. We have arranged transportation around the island using exclusively private boats, as well as access to the lake’s efficient, modern, and comfortable ferry system. What this means is that with the exception of our arrival and departure, we will have exactly ZERO bus rides during the trip!

On one of our excursions we will charter the fabulous Concordia 1929 steam paddle-wheel ferry for our exclusive use. We’ll also visit Lorenzo Gandola’s family winery at Villa Crella for a tasting and a private lunch overlooking the lake. His family has been in the wine business in the area for five generations, and he has a wealth of information and history to share with us.

Pictured above is Villa Balbianello. A thousand years ago it was a monastery, and in the 1700s a cardinal made it into his summer home. The Visconti family owned it for a few hundred years, and in the twentieth century it was bought by Count Guido Monzino, one of Italy’s richest men. Monzino was an explorer who went to both the North and South poles and was the first Italian to summit Mt Everest. In his villa he created a geographical institute and amassed an amazing collection of art from all over the world. He died without heirs and left the home as a gift to the Italian people. It’s seems to be an ideal movie location and is featured in many movies, including 007 and Star Wars.

We’ll tour the gardens and take lunch at Villa d’Este. From the 1300’s, there was a convent here until 1556 CE, when Cardinal Tolomeo demolished the nunnery and laid out the current palace and gardens. Through the centuries it was owned by various noble families, a ballerina, and even one of Napoleon’s generals. A century later at a gala dinner in 1948, wealthy manufacturer Carlo Sacchi was murdered here by his lover, Countess Pia Bellentani, who shot him in front of his guests with her husband’s pistol.

Below is the Villa Carlotta (1745). It got its name in 1847 when the wife of Prince Albert of Prussia gave the villa to their teenage daughter, Princess Carlotta, as a wedding present. Today it houses a beautiful collection of sculptures by Canova. We’ll take lunch just nearby where we can gaze back across the lake to Bellagio.

No nation on earth can match the exuberance of Italy’s embrace of the automobile as both an art form and an expression of personal identity. For generations one’s car has helped define a person’s values and social status and was an extension of their personality. And Milan has always been the center of Italy’s automobile industry and culture. And when a work of art gets older, you don’t throw it away; you care for it and keep loving it. Perhaps this is why there are at least 24 companies in Milan that specialize in renting classic Italian sports cars. They don’t lock them away in museums. Cars are meant to be driven, and the roads around Lake Como have some of the most breathtaking drives on the planet.

So one of our group days will be devoted to a road rally from Bellagio on Lake Como to Lugano in Switzerland. We will rent about a dozen convertibles for the week. Each of our five groups will have the cars for one day. Those who want to drive can volunteer and we’ll arrange the insurance. We’ll drive an hour and a half up into the Swiss Alps, have a great and leisurely lunch on Lake Lugano and return to Bellagio in time for cocktails and music.

After travelling with us in Tahiti, we are thrilled to welcome back Shelly Berg, Greg Field, and Monica Mancini, three of the greatest musicians ever to grace a Castles and Concerts stage. A five time Grammy nominee, Shelly Berg is one of the world’s greatest jazz pianists and educators and currently the Dean of the Frost School of Music at University of Miami. Greg Field is a multi-grammy award winning drummer who has played with Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, Count Basie, and Ella Fitzgerald, just to name a few. He also plays with the Shelly Berg Trio. Monica Mancini is a double-Grammy nominated vocalist. The daughter of famed film composer Henry Mancini, Monica has carved out an impressive career as a concert performer, appearing with major symphony orchestras worldwide, including the Chicago Symphony, New York Pops, and the London Metropolitan Orchestra.

We also are thrilled to introduce Deanna Bogart, the newest star to join our happy band of adventurers. 2008/2009/2010 BMA’s Horn Instrumentalist of the Year, Deanna is a phenomenal multi talented singer and instrumentalist, performing on piano, guitar and saxophone. Special thanks to Buz and Marianne Walters and the good people of the Eldorado Country Club for introducing us.

Of course they’ll be joined by tour leaders Tom Montgomery, Chip Mallari, and Matt Montgomery, as well as some incredible local musical performers that we can’t wait to share with you.

Deposits and Cancellations: A $1.000 deposit will hold your place. As always, your deposit is fully refundable for any reason, up to the time of your second payment, which will be due in fall of 2020. Your deposits are fully transferable to someone else at any time. If you need to cancel after the second payment, you will receive a full refund if either you or Castles & Concerts can find a substitute traveler to take your place.