Gorgeous Villa Melzi on Lake Como ~ Photography Imaging

This week we return to villa Melzi on the shores of Lake Como in Bellagio, Italy. As I mentioned in a previous post, the unusually cool Spring last year caused the azaleas to be on the cusp of blooming when we visited in late May, as you see in this photo.

The grounds of the Villa Melzi have some architectural remnants of an earlier structure.

The chapel on the grounds of the Villa Melzi is open to the public and contains charming features, such as this fresco.

Napoleon himself directed that this gondola be transported from Venice to the Villa Melzi. The Villa was built for the Vice President of Italy under Napoleon's rule. An ancestor of the prominent Melzi family of Milan was one of the students of Leonardo da Vinci.

This is part of the staircase at the entrance to the Villa Melzi. This building is not open to the public. There are several villas around Lake Como that are open, such as Villa Carlotta, Villa Balbianello, and Villa Monastero. Villa Melzi is a delight just to stoll its gardens and