castles-and-ruins near Villa Maria

Photo: Ktulu

Como is Lake Como's largest city where you will find shopping, works of art, churches, gardens, museums, theatres, parks and palaces. Places to go inlcude the Duomo, the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio, Villa Olmo, the Volta Temple and Museum, the Teatro...

The elegant boats of Taxi Boat Varenna offer guided tours of picturesque towns, villas and Lake Como’s beautiful surroundings away from the bustle of busy streets. Our services include tailor-made tours, a water venue for celebrations like a...

Want to experience Lake Como end to end in minutes flat? Consider a cigar boat tour for a unique experience that won’t quickly be forgotten. Ideal way to celebrate a special event or have something to brag about when you get home....

What better way is there to admire Lake Como's most stunning spots than in one of Lake Como' s most luxurious vessels? Barindelli Taxi Boats, he's the one to call... Private tours or transfers by deluxe water taxi with private piers in Bellagio and...

What better way is there to admire Lake Como's most stunning spots than in one of Lake Como' s most luxurious vessels? Barindelli Taxi Boats, he's the one to call... Private tours or transfers by deluxe water taxi with private piers in Bellagio and...

Tour one of Europe’s jewels in a custom-made Italian boat. Our third-generation Bellagio business has a boutique fleet of stunning boats, intimate knowledge of the lake and fluent English drivers. Based in Bellagio, let our upmarket services help...

From starting point at Pescallo harbour beach in Bellagio, we offer kayak tours run by a professional rower and kayak enthusiast. Our tours are suitable for everyone, families, groups and young people. We have a fleet of kayaks designed to ensure...

Navigazione Laghi is the the scheduled public boat transportation service in Lake Como. In addition to fast hydrofoils and catamarans, as well as ferries for cars, they provide slower boat services that cater to sight seeing and leisure. Boats can...

The Tower is located on a rocky outcrop above the village of Spurano and it was an ancient watchtower, which probably dates back to the 12th century. The fortified structure, included in the difensive system of the Comacina Island, was probably...

An ancient palace of the seventeenth century. It belonged to one of the most influential families of Lake Como, the Brentano, who later moved to Milan and then to Germany. It is currently used in part as a city hall where the renown painter Giulio...

Originally a signalling tower, that later became a fortress as documented 1158. There is no information about the proceeding centuries until 1454 when the area fell into the hands of the Republic of Venice and the Adda River became the natural...

At Mount Cross Ardona (m. 1005), a path splits into two. On the left, is a wooded summit then down along a bumpy ride to the entrance of Castel d'Ardona. To the right, a few bends bring you to same point but the road is much easier (1h 30 'from...

It is thought the tower was built at the behest of Fontanedo Bernabo Visconti in 1357, on the defensive line of Upper Lake, but perhaps it was only enhanced an existing structure. It is located about 700 meters downstream of the village of...

Gate Tower is an imposing fortress, 40 meters high, built in 1192, on the initiative of the mayor Hubert de 'Olevano, to defend the entrance to the city of Como. In the fourteenth century the great tower was flanked by two other pentagonal towers,...

In the medieval center of Villincino, was a fortified town built in the late tenth century. The village was owned by the wealthy family Carpani. The town was destroyed in 1278. The small and picturesque district is accessed by going through a tower,...

The Broletto or "Town Hall" is the most important medieval secular building in Como. The building rises immediately northwest of the Cathedral; representing an almost unique example of the close connection between spiritual and temporal power in a...

It is a private building constructed on roman foundation with an irregular square plant. The building, which has crown walls with battlements to protect the round parapet, can be dated between 1360 and 1370. It is a typical castle-enclosure, which...

Fort Fuentes is a former military fort on the hill of Montecchio or Monteggiolo near Colico, northern Italy. It was built by the Spanish governor of Milan, Don Pedro Enríquez de Acevedo, Count of Fuentes, to defend the northern border of the Spanish...

Fort Montecchio-Lusardi is a military fort situated in Colico, in the province of Lecco, northern Italy. It was built between 1911 and 1914. It is the only Italian fort from World War I which has been preserved intact with its original weapons. The...

Trapezoidal shaped castle with three towers built by counts Della Torre of Rezzonico in 1363. It is described as a "castle-fence", fortifying an area of two thousand square meters which surrounded the town and the main tower. Today the castle is...

Baradello Castle is situated on hill dominating the valley like a stone sentinel watching over the town of Como and Spina Verde Park. The top of the tower provides 360 degree views of the city, the Alps and Po Valley. The fortification was used...

Placed on a hill overlooking the town, the castle was built in late Middle Ages to block the way to Valvarrone and it still remains a well-preserved tower, surrounded by ruins of ancient houses. The first proofs date back to 1039, when it suffered a...

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