THE LOOK

Historically a gathering place for Italian intellectuals, this magnificent Italian jewel offers a unique opportunity to go back in time and experience life as it was for a society so enthralled by the charms of Italian paradise, they flocked there in droves to soak up its elixir of heaven on earth. And we don't blame them. The atmosphere here is exquisitely intoxicating. 

You can reach Villa Balbiano by car, but it's far more romantic to cruise up to the private pier in a classic wooden Riva boat. Black and white striped mooring poles welcome you as you amble up the wooden dock towards the original stone boathouse + wrought iron gate cloaked in a perfectly imperfect blanket of foliage. You can't help but begin to marvel at the stately cream-colored palazzo with ice-blue shutters and ornate ironwork just beyond. 

Coming up the open-air stairs, you'll find yourself in a lakeside lawn area shaded by a handful of impressive, mature trees. It's easy to glimpse the British influence oft found in Italian gardens like these when you spot the flowering shrubs and perennials with colorful roses, iris, sedums and hydrangeas against the verdant backdrop of palms, cypress, and clipped topiary. As a final flourish in this modern doppelgänger's impression of Eden, a tranquil pool reflects the surrounding trees and landscape, until 

To the right of this ambrosial corner of Villa Balbiano, you'll enter the purposefully understated lakefront garden where you'll be met with an immaculate open lawn and simple topiary shapes that frame the stunning views across Lake Como that extend all the way to the distant mountains. Behind you, the villa's archetypal Roman lines grant you permission to stare. 

The long, rectangular garden at the front of the villa, where you'd arrive by car, offers equal distinction. With an overabundance of classical clipped foliage, you'll find evergreen oak and bay laurel hedges leading all the way up to the house. A sprinkle of white marble statues and 18th c busts and urns edge the manicured paths on either side of an enchantingly reflective garden rill, drawing your eyes towards hidden entrances to blink-and-you-might-miss-it allées. In a word, Villa Balbiano's garden scene is a knockout. 

For a property dripping with history, we'd expect nothing less than a bit of expert finessing from renowned Interior Decorator Jacques Garcia. Richness and drama are his signatures, and this glamorous revitalization of Villa Balbiano's luxe interiors feels like the buzzy baroque aesthetic we never knew we needed. Marble bathrooms feature gilded gold mirrors and deep soak tubs; 17th c frescos by the Recchi brothers and Agostino Silva get a new lease on life; crystal chandeliers dazzle in a gravity-defying dance above jewel-toned velvet furniture; tromp l'oeil painted doors create continuity of the floor-to-ceiling murals in the dining room; silk damask upholstery adorns antique rococo chairs. Remarkably curated and inconspicuously modernized, the interiors are a winning complement to the picturesque perches outside. 

Photos by Oliver Fly Photography