Botanical Wandering: A Grand Entrance to Villa Giulia

One stone staircase, and a double vista from one luxury villa

Jun 12, 2025

Today on the Flowerlogue…

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This post is a relatively short read, it’s just full of images. For the best viewing experience, be sure to read this post on your desktop or via the substack app. By the way, all photographs in this story are taken by me or hubby G.

I’ve been wanting to share this little botanical travel story for a while - just waiting for the right moment. So here it is.

Last year was a big travel year for my husband and me. Thanks to his work (which called for three trips to Europe), we were able to spend about four months abroad in total. We squeezed in a few detours: a fascinating northern lights week in Iceland, a flower-filled amble through Festival Flora in Córdoba, Spain amongst other short trips and a cool, mild and slow tourist weekend in Bellagio, on the shores of Lake Como.

It was the end of September last year, bridging season in Lake Como, and in our opinion, the best time to go - cool, a little busy, but with ample people for atmosphere.

Unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of native flowers around at the time. However it was the sort of weather that makes gardens feel dreamlike and lets you book dinner without a three-week lead time. One morning, we set out on foot from Bellagio, wandering along the lake’s edge to Villa Melzi’s gardens. It was the kind of stroll where time slows down. We had heard about an unusual anomaly like no other and I wanted to see it.

Chiosco Moresco is a Moorish Garden Pavilion in the Giardini di Villa Melzi, Lake Como

La Scaletta

From the gardens, we walked toward the sleepy docks of Loppia, where a few boats rocked lazily in the water. That’s where we found La Scaletta, a stone staircase lined with grass and mature Cypress trees, the beginning of my fantasy.

We climbed the stairs and at the top the view unveiled itself like no other. A long nearly 1km narrow field, named in Italian a vialone (avenue), of mixed grasses and the occasional wildflowers dancing in the breeze. Butterflies hopped from the random bloom to bloom. And in the distance, framed between trees, was our destination, Villa Giulia. We had heard about this extraordinary anomaly and I was strangely excited to be there.

The pedestrian path half way along the vialone with Villa Giulia in the distance

It is said that the vista can be seen from the 1st floor balcony of the Villa, along the vialone to the western branch of Lake Como, and the mountain ranges beyond. Count Pietro Venini who renovated the Villa in the 18th Century intentionally designed the front garden of the Villa to have minimal planting and no planting along the vialone, so that the vista was clear. This grand plan remains today. It is said to take 800 steps along the vialone to reach the Villa.

Bladder campion, knapweed and cow parsley or perhaps false queen anne's lace

The vialone is sandwiched on both sides by a 4-foot-high limestone wall and above those wall old olive groves, homes, gardens and some commercial greenhouses. We wandered along the well-worn track along the northern side of the stoned avenue, watching lizards darting in and out of the cracks. The vialone is heavily vegetated with a mixture of wild grasses, cow parsley, knapweed and bladder campion. As it was Autumn there were few flowers, but in the Spring, I could imagine a field full of colour.

Google map of the vialone, Loppia and Villa Giulia

The vialone is part of a popular circular walking trail from Bellagio, Villa Melzi, to Villa Giulia, returning to Bellagio. It is also an important pedestrian accessway for locals to the church S. Maria near Loppia and the charming eastern fishing village of Pescallo.

From the top of La Scaletta to the sleepy fishing village of Loppia

Royals, Romance & Restorations

Villa Giulia is the sort of place that whispers stories at you. Over the centuries, Villa Giulia has hosted a cast of fascinating characters.

Villa Giulia from the eastern side of Lake Como perhaps in the 18th Century- Source: https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/architetture/schede/CO180-00317/

The front facade (west view) of Villa Giulia with the balcony on the first floor

Originally commissioned in 1624 by a proto physicist (or the study of early physics as a science) named Eudemio Camuzio, the villa was built as a summer retreat for his family. It was later purchased and completely renovated in 1806 by Count Pietro Venini, who named it in honour of his wife, Giulia. Later it belonged to Leopold I, King of Belgium, who adored Lake Como. After his death it became a luxury hotel. Then came Baron Gay, a wealthy Polish banker, who wanted the house for his wife so she could convalesce from tuberculosis. Eventually, it passed to Henry Kirakirschen, a Romanian nobleman, and finally to the Pagani family, who still run it today as a hotel, wedding venue, and conference centre.

Today, there’s a ballroom frescoed by the Galli da Bibiena, and outside, the villa is surrounded by Italian style gardens with geometric flowerbeds, clipped boxwoods, and a central fountain. There’s a stunning verandah restaurant overlooking Lecco Bay, and tucked beside the stables, an olive grove. A greenhouse which has seen better days lies to the west of the main building. I wonder what was grown in there in it’s hay day?

The old greenhouse - I love the handmade glass tiles

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Seen from the Water

On our last day in Bellagio, we took a boat across the lake to visit Villa del Balbianello (more on that in a future post), and as we passed the little fishing village of Loppia, I looked back toward the vialone. I snapped a photo, hoping to capture the Villa’s outline - but from water level, we were just a bit too low. All we could see was the scaletta.

Interestingly, there is a story that whilst the Count named the Villa in honour of his wife, he maintained the view to the other side, so he could see his mistress’s house? *

A Grand Plan for Love

Isn’t it amazing that the romance of a man who had a grand vision, once reshaped the land for love and for beauty, has been preserved for future generations.

Sometimes it’s not the biggest garden or the most famous villa that stays with you. but the quiet whisper of its past.

Thanks for wandering with me - If you’ve ever walked the vialone - or dreamt of Lake Como in bloom - I’d love to hear from you.