Lucky, lucky me.
Today I visited Villa Carlotta on Lake Como, a magnificent old building at its splendid height in the early 1800's, when it was a stopping-off point in the European "Grand Tour".
Around 1860, an even luckier girl named Carlotta was given this house as a wedding present, by her mother. She married a chap called George who was rich and a passionate gardener. The villa has three floors and the gardens cover 17 acres (all on steep slopes) all directly on the lake.
The main gates - right on the lake. Most visitors would have arrived by boat from the railway station at Como.
Fabulous cold, clear water in every water feature. It runs straight out of the mountains.
This is the view from ground level.
The view from the first level of the villa.
The view from the second level of the villa. Some view, eh?
The landing/gallery on the second level. This level housed children, visitors and maybe servants.
Fabulous ceilings in one of the ground floor reception rooms.
Shutters for light and shade. I just love this European way of controlling light (and heat).
Views from the top/third floor. Looking across the entrance. The third floor housed the private apartments.
A wedding in the garden.
Beautiful paths, huge trees.
The curved frame is a long grove of lemon trees!
I took lots more photos, of course. But that's all I can fit here.
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