Villa Sola Cabiati, Tremezzo

Villa Sola Cabiati, the beloved summer residence of the Serbelloni Dukes, is a late Baroque style villa whose central body was commissioned by the Del Carretto Dukes at the beginning of the 1500s. In the second half of the 1700s, Duke Gabrio Serbelloni had the rounded tympana and balconies added to the façade; these and the two wings he also had built, gave the Villa its present aspect.

The pearl grey color of the building’s stone and stucco work is relieved by the pale blue color of its shutters.

A stone medallion bearing the Sola Cabiati family crest surmounts the Villa façade whereas the family motto, villulae quietem, sculpted in the entrance lintel, invites guests to days of quiet repose. The property passed to the Counts of Sola Cabiati and their heirs through marriage and has not changed hands since.

When guests arrive by boat at the landing, and see Villa Sola Cabiati, one of Lake Como’s most renown villas, for the first time, they are struck by its harmonious beauty. A double staircase with a grey stone balustrade, leads up from the water to the large wrought-iron gate surmounted by a gilded 'S' and a Duke's crown.

The gate’s stone columns, topped with statues of mythical figures and animals reminiscent of an enchanting fairytale world, invite guests to enter through its portals.

Beyond the gate lie four parterre flower gardens laid out in the Italian style. In it, red, white and grey lake pebbles pick up the nuanced colors of the flowers to form a multi-colored arabesque.