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Who owns Villa Gaeta?

For two thousand years, Lake Como, located in Northern Italy, has attracted the most artistic people in the world inviting them to relax, to be inspired and to make contact with the beauty of nature in one of the most romantic locations in the world. The legendary historic villas of Lake Como are a wonderful opportunity to go back in time and experience the life of the wealthy European and Noble families who lived there, the famed novelists who wrote, the composers who created, the artists who painted, and the people who fell in love, all inspired by the charm of this special Italian paradise.

I was fortunate to have the spectacular and iconic Grand Hotel Tremezzo as my home base for a decadent week of exploring the very best that Lake Como has to offer for 2016. I was also lucky to do a hard hat walk through at the magnificent Villa La Pliniana and Il Sereno Hotel which recently opened.

In fact one of the most prestigious billionaire weddings of all time happened the first month of opening with Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s wedding on the lawn of Villa La Pliniana, actor Chris Rock officiated the upbeat ceremony, Mark Zuckerberg  supported his friend and Bruno Mars performed.

Doesn’t get much grander than that. GRAND HOTEL TREMEZZO I was met by a private driver from the hotel upon arrival into Milan’s Malpensa Airport. The drive took approximately one hour through dramatic winding roads, past towering cypress trees, along the waterfront shrouded in a light misty fog.

The majestic Grand Hotel Tremezzo , Lake Como’s Grandest Dame, recently had a five-year, multi-million renovation project across its 76 rooms and 14 suites and it shows. Rooftop Front Suite at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo Famed for its position on the lake, the historic resort retains its place as one of Italy’s leading five-star hotels.

I was thrilled to stay in one of the hotels most stunning rooftop suites with an enormous outdoor terrace, complete was Jacuzzi and private butler. There are so many options at the hotel from the new Suite Emilia located in the adjacent Villa Emilia with private access to the spa or the enormous 1,830 square foot rooftop Penthouse Suite with a panoramic living room overlooking the lake front.

Grand Hotel Tremezzo’s T Spa launched last summer and expanded following the restoration of the 18th century Villa Emilia, to add additional treatment rooms, a mosaic-lined nail studio, and a frescoed relaxation lounge facing the lake. The new Hammam Suite, housed in a large and airy chamber with a domed ceiling made of precious Italian Lasa white marble features a full sized scrub plinth, water blade style shower, couples bathtub and a steam room.

• Adding to the experience is a new area that includes a Mediterranean bath, steam bath and sauna with stunning lake views in addition to an ice fountain, tranquil showers and a quiet relaxation area decorated with onyx walls;

My first evening I enjoyed a romantic dinner at La Terrazza experiencing Executive Chef Osvaldo Presazzi’s Marchesi tasting menu, and another night at the hotels seductive L’Escale Fondue and Wine Bar located in a room carved into the rock with bare brick walls and wine casks for tables.

An informal meal of meat and fish fondues and grills, accompanied by the best Italian regional wines. You cook your own meats on a hot stone in the center of the table with colored sea salts to create your own fun experience in dining.

The hotel concierge offered up an amazing weekend of indulgence with their Bespoke Series including custom designed experiences like a  hydroplane ride flying over the lake from Como town where the hotel’s very own Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider waits for you to drive to the top of Comacina Island to enjoy a picnic as the sun sets.

• This is La Dolce Vita at its finest! It is also the perfect spot to explore the region, including some of the most magnificent villas on the planet of which I have assembled the very best for your enjoyment;

VILLA PLINIANA (Torno) Villa Pliniana was built in 1573 around the rushing spring that carries the same name. The construction of the villa is due to Count Giovanni Anguissola, governor of Como, who decided to transform the fresh spring and the surrounding land into an iconic location.

I was lucky to get a private tour of the Villa with Le Sereno’s charming owner Luis Contreras and was shown the most amazing suites built over the loudly rushing water beneath. The villa is practically built into the waterfalls, and with the highest level of security systems including bomb-proof doors and impenetrable rooms, this is truly the ultimate escape.

Featuring 18 acres of gardens and 19 bedrooms within four large apartments, plus three stand-alone villas, this is one of the most spectacular properties on the lake and is available for private rentals. Many famous guests have stayed at the Villa Pliniana: among them the poet Percy Shelley, who left a wonderful description of the villa, Gioacchino Rossini composed Tancredi in the villa itself in 1813, and the original grand piano still stands in its original spot.

• (Yes, I admit I played chopsticks on the piano;
• ) Napoleon also played on the immaculate billiard table which still retains its place in the parlor;
• The villa has been visited by many famous writers (Byron, Foscolo, Berchet, Stendhal) musicians (Liszt and Bellini), scientists (Volta, Spallanzani and Ghezzi) and monarchs Joseph II of Austria and Margherita of Savoy;

Il Sereno owner Luis Contreras and Jim Dobson at the Villa Pliniana (photo by Canon Price) Managed by Sereno Hotels, Villa Pliniana is less than 1,000 yards from the hotel group’s new Il Sereno, Lago di Como hotel. Villa Pliniana is the third property in the Sereno Hotels collection, with the first being one of my favorites, the Le Sereno in St.

Barth. The spectacular new Il Sereno Lago di Como Hotel opens this Fall with a major celebrity event (my lips are sealed). I was the first writer to slip on a hard hat as Luis Contreras took me on an exclusive inside tour of the new resort showcasing its magnificent lake front terraced suites including two 2,150-square-foot penthouse suites.

This new resort will become one of the best in the world and should capture the attention of every bold-faced name. VILLA CARLOTTA (Tremezzo) Villa Carlotta stands just beside the Grand Hotel Tremezzo. It was built in 1690 by the Milanese marquis Giorgio Clerici II.

As President of the Senate in 1717, he created the house as a symbol of his huge success, adorning it with magnificent frescoes and an Italian garden. In 1801, Gian Battista Sommariva, a famous politician, businessman and patron of arts, bought the villa.

Thanks to this owner the property in Tremezzo became one of the most important stopping points of the Grand Tour. The villa became a temple of XIX century art with works by Canova, Thorvaldsen and Hayez: Palamedes, Eros and Psyche and Terpsychore. The Last Kiss of Romeo and Juliet are only some of the masterpieces that enrich the Villa’s extraordinary collection.

Sommariva’s heirs sold the villa in 1843 to Princess Marianne of Nassau, wife of Prince Albert’s of Prussia, who gave it as a present to her daughter Carlotta in occasion of her wedding with Grand Duke Giorgio II of Saxe Meiningen.

Hence the name Villa Carlotta. Very fond of botanicals, Giorgio developed the park, which has great historical and environmental value. The gardens of Villa Carlotta are famous for their 150 types of rhododendrons and azaleas. VILLA DEL BALBIANELLO (Lenno) Villa Balbianello was built for Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini at the end of the XVIII century, the Villa stands on the tip of a steep promontory overlooking Lake Como, almost opposite Bellagio.

At the beginning of 900, the villa was sold to Bavarian Baron Hermann Hartlaub and finally in 1974 to Count Guido Monzino, the famous explorer, who added to the interior with his amazing collections of Chinese, African and Columbian art as well as 4,000 volumes dedicated to mountaineering and polar expeditions.

At his death in 1988, he left the Villa to a trust that runs it and it open to the public. In the spring of 2006, the movie Casino Royale  was filmed in front of the villa. The same villa can also be seen in  Star Wars II: Attack of the Clon es as the wedding scene of Anankin.

VILLA D’ESTE (Cernobbio) Gerardo Landriani, Bishop of Como, founded a female convent here in 1442. A century later Cardinal   Tolomeo Gallio demolished the nunnery and commissioned   Pellegrino Tibaldi   to design a residence for his own use.

The Villa del Garovo, together with its luxurious gardens, was constructed during the years 1565–70, and during the cardinal’s lifetime, it became a resort of politicians and brilliant minds. On Gallio’s death, the villa passed to his family who allowed it to sink into a state of decay.

From 1749 to 1769 it was a   Jesuit spiritual retreat, before being acquired first by Count Mario Odescalchi, and then in 1778 by Count Marliani. In 1784, it passed to the   Milanese Calderari family who undertook a major restoration project and created a new park with an impressive temple displaying a seventeenth-century statue of Hercules hurling   Lichas   into the sea.

After the death of Marquis Calderari, his wife Vittoria Peluso, a former ballerina at   La Scala   and known as   la Pelusina , married a Napoleonic general, Count   Domenico Pino   and a mock fortress was erected in the park in his honor. In 1815, the villa became the residence of Caroline of Brunswick , Princess of Wales, the estranged wife of future King   George IV.

• She gave it the name   Nuova Villa d’Este   and had the park landscaped in the English style;
• It was converted into a deluxe hotel for the very wealthy and famous in 1873   and kept the name   Villa d’Este  to take advantage of the apparent link with the famous   Villa d’Este in Tivoli, near Rome;

A gala dinner held at the Villa d’Este in 1948 was the scene for the celebrated murder of the wealthy silk manufacturer Carlo Sacchi, shot dead by his lover Countess   Pia Bellentani. Countless famous couples have lived their great love story at Villa d’Este; Elizabeth Taylor with Nick Hilton, Rita Hayworth with Orson Welles, Clark Gable with Carol Lombard, Ava Gardner with Frank Sinatra, Aristotle Onassis with Maria Callas and Woody Allen with Mia Farrow among many others.

VILLA MELZI (Bellagio) Villa Melzi d’Eril  was created as the summer residence of Francesco Melzi d’Eril, vice president of the Italian Republic that was founded by Napoleon in the early 1800s. Located in   Bellagio, this enormous neoclassical complex is one of the most popular attractions among tourists who visit Lake Como.

Villa Melzi d’Eril was built between 1808 and 1815 by architect   Giocondo Albertolli for Francesco Melzi d’Eril. Franz Liszt, the composer and pianist, was also a frequent visitor of the villa and it was there that he wrote one of his most famous pieces,   Dante Symphony.

1. The Melzi dynasty was followed by the Gallarati Scotti family, who still take care of the villa and its gardens;
2. The interior of the villa, not open to the public contains magnificent frescoes and sculptures;

While in Bellagio visit the lovely local Trattoria San Giacomo and experience Nonna Pina’s famous desserts. Also, try the outdoor terrace of the neighboring Ristorante Bilacus for fresh fish and wine. VILLA CIPRESSI Villa Cipressi was once a private villa overlooking Lake Como and surrounded with stunning terraces, magnificent grounds and lush gardens that are still part of the property today.

Cipressi is a complex of buildings and gardens, rich in history, built mainly between 1400 and 1800. It was the property of the noble Serponti family in 1163, of Baron Isimbaldi (at the end of the eighteenth century), of the Andreossi family, who took care of the Park, of Sir Astley and Sir Salton (at the beginning of the twentieth century) and finally of publisher Accame.

In 1980 it was purchased by the people of Varenna for public use. It is now managed as a Hotel by   Engie in Italy that has restored it. VILLA MONASTERO (Varenna) In the 13th century, the Villa Monastero stood as a female monastery dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

It was probably founded before 1200 after the destruction of the Island Comacina, by the Comaschi during the war between Milan and Como. In 1567, the convent was dissolved and the villa and grounds were bought by the noble family Mornico from Cortenova in Valsassina.

In 1645 Lelio Mornico completely changed the old convent into a splendid abode. In 1876 it was sold to Carolina Maumary the widow of Seufferheld of Frankfurt and the sister in law to Massimo d’Azeglio. At the end of the century a wealthy German, Erich Walter Jacob Kees became the owner and he enriched the garden while renovating the villa into the late-Renaissance style.

• Among those who frequented Villa Monastero was Fogazzaro who used the garden as inspiration for his theatrical work “Nadejde” which tells the story of the Princess de la Roche Plessys;
• In 1925, the villa bought by naturalist Marco De Marchi who donated it to the state converting it into the Institute for Hydrobiology;

The villa is open to the public and stands in a magnificent park where citrus, cypresses, pine trees and agaves grow, stretches over more than a mile. Statues and bas-reliefs can be admired along the paths among the numerous Mediterranean and tropical plants.

VILLA SERBELLONI The Villa Serbelloni was built in the   15th century for Marchesino Stanga. It was modified in the 16th century by the Sfondrati family and passed in the late 18th century into the hands of the Serbelloni Dukes, who left the building intact, but extended the magnificent grounds.

The property stretches over the high part of the promontory of Bellagio, with rambling paths that allow visitors to admire the large quantity of rare and exotic plants which grow on the terraces sloping down towards the lake. The villa has hosted   many illustrious figures including; Leonardo da Vinici, Emperor Maximillian I, Silvio Pellico, Queen Victoria and Manzoni and Parini, who spent a great deal of time here as a tutor to the Duke’s sons.

In 1872 the villa, which is in a neo-classical style, was sold and since then it has been operating as the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. VILLA FONTANELLE The Villa Fontanelle was built in the first half of the nineteenth century by Lord Charles Currie, an eccentric Englishman who fell in love with Lake Como.

Failing to find a villa for sale, he decided to build his own, right on the water’s edge. In 1977, it was bought by the Italian designer   Gianni Versace, and was in a state of abandonment. The designer restored the villa to its former neoclassical glory.

The restoration included landscaping the three acres of ornamental gardens, three cottages, a tennis court, water frontage and private dock. Versace personally chose hundreds of oil paintings as well as other artworks displayed throughout the interior and exterior, he created a mini-palace that was a personal shrine.

Before Versace’s death, celebrities such as Sir   Elton John ,   Sting,   Diana, Princess of Wales   and   Madonna , were regular guests at the property. Since the death of Versace in 1997, however, only singer   Jennifer Lopez   and her then husband Chris Judd visited, having spent their honeymoon there in 2001.

The estate is now owned by Russian millionaire restaurateur   Arkady Novikov   who bought it in 2008 and retained Milanese architect Claudio Pozza to undertake restoration works at the property. VILLA OLEANDRA George Clooney bought his now infamous 18th-century, 30 room Villa Oleandra in 2001, it was originally part of the Heinz ketchup family estate.

Villa Oleandra was first built in 1720, and then in 1834 the Stoppani family extended development into the surrounding land, which was completed in 1868 by the Antongini family. In 1877, the building was transferred to the Vitali family. During the 20th century, the Villa was sold to American owners, the last of which was the family of Ketchup billionaire John Heinz.

In 2004, George Clooney purchased the neighboring art nouveau Villa Margherita. The two properties adjoin each other with the Riva Soldino bridge. VILLA ERBA (Cernobbio) Villa Erba   is a 19th-century villa built by Luigi Erba, brother of the prominent pharmaceutical businessman Carlo Erba.

After the death of Luigi Erba, the villa was inherited by his daughter Carla and was used by members of Carla’s family, including her son   Luchino Visconti. In 1986, it was bought by a public   company   to use as an exposition center. In 2004, the villa served as a filming location for the movie   Ocean’s Twelve.

• In early 2005, singer   Gwen Stefani, shot the   music video   for her 2005   single,   Cool;
• VILLA MARIA TAGLIONI Villa Maria Taglioni and its adjacent sister property, Villa Maria Serena, were restored in the 19th century by the celebrated ballet dancer Maria Taglioni and have since welcomed esteemed guests including Bellini, Rossini, Franz Lizst and Riccordi;

It was Taglioni’s hideway when her fame became overwhelming for her. Her son-in-law, Prince Troubetskoy also lived here, banished from Russia after being accused of conspiring against Czar Nicholas I. Together, the two villas are available for private rental and can accommodate 22 guests in refined grandeur on the western shore of Lake Como in a gated private park, but can also be rented individually.

VILLA OLMO (Como) The extravagant Villa Olmo was built in the XVII century by Marquis Innocenzo Odescalchi. The massive construction started in 1797 under Swiss architect Simone Cantoni. During that time the Villa hosted such luminaries as Napolean Bonaparte in 1797, Ugo Foscolo in 1808, the Emperors of Austria; Franz II in 1816 and Ferdinand I in 1838.

In 1824 the villa became the property of the Raimondi family and in 1883 it was sold to Duke Guido Visconti from Vimodrone who hired architect Emilio Alemagna to restore it. The stables and the portico were demolished and a small theater was built inside the villa.

In 1924 the villa became the property of the city and is used for art exhibitions. VILLA DEL GRUMELLO (Como) In the fifteenth century before being given the name Villa Grumello, the estate was known as Castellazzo and was described as a rustic two-story house, surrounded by a vineyard, a lawn and an orchard rich with walnuts, chestnuts and other plants.

Rebuilt by the banker Tommaso d’Adda in the second half of the sixteenth century as one of Como aristocrats’ first retreats on the lake shores, it was known for its seclusion, and yet its proximity to the city. The Villa was subsequently owned by the Odescalchi family, then by the Giovio family and, in the second half of the nineteenth century, by the Celesia family.

• Over the centuries, it has undergone major refurbishments: in the seventeen century by Pellegrini, then in the late eighteen century by Simone Cantoni, who made changes to the facade, and finally, in 1870 by architect Nessi;

Well known figures, including Vincenzo Monti, Alessandro Volta and Ugo Foscolo, were hosted in its frescoed and stuccoed rooms. The frequent visits made by Foscolo to the Giovio family are documented by the bust built in the garden at the request of Countess Julia Celesia.

1. In 1954, Countess Julia Celesia Cays of Caselette donated the Villa to Sant’Anna Hospital in Como and its artworks were donated to the Museum of Como;
2. The Villa became a retirement home and from 1970 through 2000 it was rented by the Ratti silk manufacturing company to showcase its style and design department;

In 2006, after years of neglect, the Villa was restored and now hosts cultural events. VILLA MARGHERITA RICORDI The grand Villa Margherita dates back to the 1750’s and was owned by Guilio Ricordi head of the   Casa Ricordi   music publishing house, Ricordi also produced several magazines as well as the later operas of Guiseppi Verdi.

• It is in the Villa where composer Verdi often stayed and composed ‘La Traviata;
• ‘ The villa’s well-maintained grounds include a lakefront area with resident beach, boat mooring facility, children’s play area and a resident parking facility;

Once guests have parked here an arched stone tunnel leads guests safely under the lake road out into the main Villa grounds. The villa is now available for private rentals. VILLA LA GAETA Known as the James Bond Villa, the Villa La Gaeta was built in the 20’s by Gino and Adolfo Coppedè on behalf of the Ambrosoli industrial family and owes its name to the point on which it was constructed.

It is shaped like a medieval, renaissance castle with motifs from the liberty period. It is structured around two towers, one of which is on a deep cliff over the lake, the other facing the hills. In 1940, the villa became the property of Count Gerli.

In the spring of 2006, the movie   Casino Royale   was filmed in front of this villa. Apartments inside this villa are available for rent. The apartment comes with a boat dock for those who decide to explore the lake by boat. VILLA PASSALACQUA The Villa Passalacqua is a national monument for Italy.

It was constructed in the 1700’s by Count Passalacqua who was gifted the property from the Odescalchi Family—a Northern Papal family. It’s most famous long-term guest was Vincenzo Bellini who lived here from 1829-1833 and wrote his most famous operas ( Norma and Sonnambula ).

Swiss architect Felice Soave, designed the house to have a simple symmetrical façade with a rich elaborate interior. The ceilings in the public rooms, as well as the bedrooms, are ornately decorated and painted. The floors are a mixture of Cotto Lombardo, Seminato, and dark antique wood.

• The Villa is filled with beautiful paintings, sculptures, rugs, tapestries and Venetian chandeliers;
• The gardens are considered some of the most historic and beautiful on Lake Como;
• The Swimming Terrace is spectacular;

The terrace is filled with lemon and Olive trees. Overlooking the swimming pool is Sant’ Agata’s 12th-century bell tower. There is also a beautiful 200-year-old greenhouse on the terrace and eleven working fountains on the property. The dock is encased in antique Moltrasio stone both on the walls and on the steps leading to the water and filled with roses, creeping jasmine and oleander.

• Over the centuries, the Villa Passalacqua has played host to numerous musicians, artists, writers and statesmen including Napoleon Buonaparte, Vincenzo Bellini and Winston Churchill;
• As I departed Lake Como, I understood the emotional feeling one gets after visiting its tranquil shores;

with its dramatic hillsides dotted with Romanesque churches, and like Franz Liszt once wrote: ” I do not know a district more clearly blessed by heaven. In the midst of this friendly nature, man can breathe freely, the harmony of his relations is not disturbed by gigantic proportions, and he can love and enjoy because he does not seem to do anything but take his own share of universal happiness.

Where is Mr whites house in Casino Royal?

Situated on the prominent Gaeta peninsula, on the shore of Lake Como, Villa Gaeta is comprised of a dozen private apartments. Some of these are rented out to holiday makers, enabling guests to enjoy staying in a fabulous lakefront location used in the film Casino Royale as the residence of Mr White.

Was George Clooney’s house used in Casino Royale?

Handy for one of its principal actors, George Clooney, who had bought a house on Lake Como back in 2001! And the beautiful Villa Balbianello was used not just for Casino Royale but also by the Star Wars franchise for Attack of the Clones.

Where in Lake Como was Casino Royale filmed?

Villa del Balbianello is located next to Lake Como, Italy. In the spring of 2006, the movie Casino Royale was filmed in front of the villa. The villa doubles as a hospital where James Bond (Daniel Craig) is recovering, together with Vesper (Eva Green) and where the Swiss banker comes to get the code to transfer the money.

1. Built for Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini at the end of the XVIII century, the Villa stands on the tip of a steep promontory overlooking Lake Como, almost opposite Bellagio;
2. Today, the villa has the appearance desired by its last owner, the explorer Guido Monzino, with a rich collection of Chinese, African and pre-Colombian art, precious English and French furniture of the 1700s and the small museum with documents and mementoes of his expeditions;

Yet the true masterpiece is the panoramic terraced garden dominated by the elegant “loggia” with three arches rising on the highest point of the promontory. The same villa can also be seen in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones. The Villa is now owned by Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano (FAI).

A private, non-profit trust, FAI receives sites of historic, artistic and naturalist value through donations, bequests or loans for use, restores them, opens them to the public and ensures that everyone can enjoy them.

Address Via Comoedia – Lenno, COMO Opening times Mid-March – Mid-November: 10 am – 6 pm Open every day, except Mondays and Wednesday (unless public holidays). Last entrance time: half an hour before closing. Find hotels near Villa Balbianello Visit for route descriptions and more information the official website (see below).

What celebrities have a home on Lake Como?

A place of glorious sunshine and gentle pleasures, Lake Como, Lago di Como in Italian, has been a popular retreat for wealthy people since Roman times, and many celebrities and A-listers own or have owned villas on its shores, such as George Clooney, Madonna, Richard Branson, Sylvester Stallone, Gianni Versace, Matt.

Is Lake Como freshwater or saltwater?

Ever dreamt of a vacation by the charming waters in a dainty villa? Lake Como (Lago di Como) has it all; from seclusion to luxury. No wonder it is the most sought-after haven among the glitterati of the world. Located near Milan, the serene waters of the glacial Lake Como in Italy makes for the deepest freshwater lake in the country and has a distinctive shape resembling the stem of a catapult.

Where is George Clooney’s house on Lake Como?

George Clooney regularly spends the summer months on Lake Como in his 25-room Villa Oleandra in Laglio, only about 15 minutes from Como. The village of Laglio is a sleepy nest at noon. The Villa Oleandra, the holiday residence of the Hollywood film star, also presents itself from its backward side.

Where was James Bond filmed in Italy?

Casino Royale Villa La Gaeta,San Siro, Lake Como, Italy .

Where in Italy did they film No Time to Die? – The latest Bond film (2021) is shot in Matera and Gravina in Puglia in southern Italy. Some scenes were also made in Sapri, on the coast below Naples. Also read:

• Best Italian movies 2022: The Hand of God and 9 more
• Pope movies: the 10 best films about the Pope
• 10 road movies in Italy and the USA – Rome’s beltway

Is Lake Como in Star Wars?

Royal Palace of Caserta – Naples, Italy – The enchanting Royal Palace of Caserta is among the most prominent expressions of 18th-century Baroque architecture in Italy. Of course, fans will recognize its lavish interiors as Queen Amidala’s royal palace on Naboo in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

The crew then returned for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones  to film the meeting between Senator Amidala and Queen Jamilla. Located outside of Naples, this UNESCO World Heritage Site boasts a fascinating mixture of alleyways, fountains, and statues.

Indeed, it’s a place fit for a Queen—or rather, King Charles III of Bourbon. Ker & Downey can secure your very own private guide, who will lead you through the former royal residence and introduce you to its historical apartments, parklands, and gardens.

Is Lake Como warm enough to swim in?

The lake is wonderful to swim in with crystal clear water and average water temperatures in the peak Summer months between 21 and 26 degrees.

Does George Clooney own Villa del Balbianello?

George Clooney, who owns a villa on Lake Como, enjoying a stroll in the lakeside town of Argegno. Villa del Balbianello, on Lake Como. Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones and* Casino Royale* were both shot here. Michele Canepa with his dogs at Villa Il Balbiano.

Who owns villa Cassinella?

Ever wonder where that stunning backdrop to Daniel Craig’s R&R was? The 18th century Villa Balbianello hosted Mr Craig and his Hollywood crew. The mansion sits on a spit of land jutting into the deep green waters of the Lake whose shores are lined with holiday homes of some of the world’s mega rich.

1. Available for private hire or cruise by boat for some paparazzi pics;
2. Private Villa available for rent and functions;
3. Best views can be had from the lake by boat–located next to Villa Barbianello;
4. The flamboyant entrepreneur best known for Virgin Airlines and Virgin Records reputedly owns Villa La Cassinella sharing the ” Punta di Lavedo” peninsula with Villa Balbianello;

This fabulous estate has been extensively renovated and completed in 2008. Built at the end of the 19th century, the original owners were the Comasco industrialist family who created magnificent gardens around the property. There is a stunning 3 hectares of cypress trees, boxwood hedges, vines of wisteria and jasmine, flowering dogwoods, azaleas, plus tree peonies and roses.

This villa can only be accessed by boat or helicopter. There is a central courtyard, an upper terrace, a teak-decked infinity pool, lined in glass tiles, a tennis court, home cinema and magnificent Lake views.

The “News of the World Newspaper” quoted: “Remember the scene in Casino Royale where James Bond chills out after surviving a spot of eye-watering torture by Le Chiffre? The one where 007 nurses his cuts and bruises in a luxurious sun-drenched garden cascading down to a spectacular stretch of water surrounded by towering mountains? Richard Branson has a villa on the same peninsula as Balbianello.

What hotel did Bond stay at in Casino Royale?

Grandhotel Pupp was transformed into Hotel Splendide in Montenegro in the Bond film called Casino Royale. Right after the arrival in the station in ‘Montenegro’ /Mill Colonnade/, James Bond goes to Hotel Splendide /Grandhotel Pupp/.

Where is the beach in Casino Royale?

While the 1967 version of Casino Royal — a goofy, star-studded spoof starring Peter Sellers, Woody Allen and Orson Wells — takes you on a journey to Ireland, Scotland and England, by following in the footsteps of the 2006 version starring Daniel Craig — a relatively realistic, if modern, adaptation of Ian Fleming’s first novel — takes you on an arresting tour of historic Venice and the Czech Republic and leaves you lounging in the warm climes of the Bahamas and Italy’s Lake Como.

• Related article: James Bond’s London

In the 2006 film, Bond makes an alliterative journey to Miami, Madagascar and Montenegro. But as with most movies in the 007 cannon, these destinations have stunt doubles, and Casino Royale’s stand-ins are no less trip-worthy than their fictionally labelled counterparts. Plus, filming locations are often subbed for budget reasons – a cost savings that may be emulated by Bond-ophiles looking to drive, dive and parkour in the same spots as the internationally famous British spy.

• Czech Republic Most of Casino Royale was shot in the beautiful and relatively inexpensive Czech Republic — primarily in Prague’s fabled Barrandov Studios , known as the “Hollywood of the East” for its use in films including Mission Impossible, the Bourne Identity and Amadeus;

However there are only a few opportunities every year to tour the studio and its costumes department. A more accessible location is Prague’s open-to-the-public Strahov Monastery library, which stands in for an interior committee room of London’s Parliament in a scene with M, played by Judi Dench.

1. The city’s international airport, Ruzyne , (and the Nassau airport in the Bahamas) features in the film as the airport in Miami, Florida;
2. The exterior of Prague’s Ministry of Transport and the interior of Vitkov Monument’s history museum in Vitkov Park were the shooting locations of the film’s Miami Body Worlds exhibit;

And the lobby of the Venetian hotel where 007 and Bond girl Vesper Lynd stay is actually Prague’s National Museum on Wenceslas Square, currently closed for reconstruction and scheduled to reopen in June 2016. About a two hour drive west of Prague — faster if you are a fictional British secret agent — is the picturesque Bohemian spa-town of Karlovy Vary, which takes on the role of the small European country of Montenegro, part of Yugoslavia in Ian Fleming’s day.

The city’s most historic and beautiful spa, the-closed-to-the-public Lázně I (or Spa 1, formerly known as Kaiserbad), located on Mírové náměstí, was used as the exterior of the titled Casino Royale. The outside is all a traveller is likely to see of it now; except for rare occasions, it has been closed for the last decade awaiting funds for renovation.

Just a few hundred metres away is the high-end Grandhotel Pupp , which served as Bond and Lynd’s Hotel Splendide in the film. If you had your heart set on actually going to Montenegro, there is a real Hotel Splendid in the coastal town of Becici, with posh rooms overlooking the Adriatic Sea.

The Bahamas Craig was not the first Bond to film in the Bahamian capital of Nassau, but he probably spends the most screen time among its sites. Both Sean Connery’s Thunderball and Roger Moore’s The Spy Who Loved Me shot in and around the area, but Casino Royale takes a more contemporary tour of the city, especially the area called Paradise Island, located just over the Atlanis or Paradise Island bridge from downtown Nassau.

En route to the fictional Montenegro Casino Royale, Craig walks through the terraced, statue-filled Italianate Versailles Gardens of the luxurious One and Only Ocean Club. The resort hotel’s small, stand-alone lobby was transformed into the interior of the Casino Royale where Bond plays his death defying poker match with terrorist financier Le Chiffre.

• The One and Only is also rightfully typecast as a Bahamian hotel in the film, and Bond and Lynd stay there — Villa 1085 to be precise;
• If you take their old room it comes with its own 24-hour personal butler service;

The hotel’s outdoor bar, which is perched above Cabbage Beach, may not be in the film, but its luxe setting is perfect for sipping martinis, served shaken, not stirred. On Delancy Street in Nassau, the yellow mansion of the now-closed Buena Vista Hotel served as the exterior for the Madagascan Embassy in the film.

On the southwest side of New Providence Island, about 25km from Nassau, is the pretty seaside resort community of Albany , named after the Albany House, a pink colonial mansion once owned by Jean Chalopin, the creator of an animated Bond bastardization, the bumbling hero Inspector Gadget.

The building also serves as the home of the villain Dimitrios in Casino Royale. Albany is a private community, but its hotel is open to the public and guests may dine inside the mansion, at the restaurant Aviva. A few miles away, Coral Harbour Beach is where Bond emerges from the water, reminiscent of Ursula Andress, the first Bond girl, from Dr No.

Venice, Italy Although the famously beautiful and romantic canalled city has appeared in From Russia With Love and Moonraker, Bond’s arrival in Casino Royale, sailing on a 54ft yacht along the Grand Canal, is arguably the most stylish, filmed in an epic sweeping shot.

The ship travels between the Accademia and Rialto bridges, and there are other Venetian landmarks in the film, like St Mark’s Square. But the most memorable location (spoiler alert) is the collapsing palace where Vesper meets her end, locked in an elevator as the building sinks into the Grand Canal.

• The building in the film, the 17th-century Palazzo Pisani Moretta , did not really sink (that was recreated in a sound stage), and it is closed to the public except for special events like its annual masquerade ball Il Ballo del Doge , held during Carnevale in March or February;

Lake Como, Italy One of refreshing aspects of Craig’s reboot is the realism it brought the franchise — at least in comparison to the cheesy jokes, comic book villains and baffling plans of world domination in earlier films. More in keeping with the plot lines of the Fleming novels, this new cinema Bond is a flawed (if stylish) hero who is severely brutalized, both physically and emotionally.

But when it comes time for his convalescence, he still gets a luxury view: the stunning terraced gardens of Villa del Balbianello , an Italian villa on the western shore of Lake Como near the village of Lenno.

The spot, open for tours, is so lovely it was also the wedding venue for Anakin Skywalker and Princess Amidala in Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones. And if you want to really take it to a luxury level fitting the Bond motif, consider renting out one of the rooms in the lakeside Villa La Gaeta , a stunning castellated private home with its own beach near Menaggio on Lake Como.

Where is the beach scene in Casino Royale?

BAHAMAS – The intense opening scene at the construction site was not filmed in Madagascar – but at Coral Harbor in the southeast of Bahamian main island New Providence. The area belongs to the Bahamas Royal Airforce, one of the buildings doubled for Bonds hotel in Thunderball back in the days – a never finished hotel construction now was the site for the parkour chase. Casino Royale movie locations: Solange at the One & Only Ocean Club Later in the movie, Bonds visits New Providence for real. He encounters small-fry arms dealer Dimitrios (Simon Abkarian) at the One & Only Ocean Club on Paradise Island. Later on he meets with his wife Solange in the very exclusive Albany House on the south shore of New Providence. This is also the spot, where Bonds emerges out of the ocean bulldog-style.

Who owns Villa del balbianello?

Where – Villa del Balbianello Via Comoedia, 5, Tremezzina (CO), Lenno A t the very tip of the Dosso di Lavedo, a wooded promontory on the shores of Lake Como, is the Villa del Balbianello, built in the early 18th century, famous not only for its beauty but also for having hosted many wellknown intellectuals in exile during the Italian Risorgimento. Commissioned by Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini and built over the remains of an ancient Franciscan monastery (although the facade of the original church is still intact), after the Cardinal’s death it passed down to Count Luigi Porro Lambertenghi. The Count was a very active supporter of the Unification of Italy and turned the villa into a hub for intellectuals who supported the Cause, even hiring the famous author Silvio Pellico as a tutor for his children.

Which hotel in Venice was Casino Royale filmed?

Venice is the perfect location where to film a movie and one of the movies that have been set in our city is Casinò Royale, the 21st movie in the official James Bond film series. But the real question is: Where was Casino Royale filmed in Venice? In this article we are going to discover them all. If we have to be honest, the only part of the movie that is set in Venice is the last one, but during these 30 minutes, James Bond passes through different places.

Let’s see what they are. St. Mark’s basin James Bond arrives in Venice on a sailboat, at St. Mark’s Basin. During these scene you can easily recognize the island of San Giorgio Maggiore on the left and the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, right behind the Secret Service agent.

Accademia and Rialto Fish Market Once the sailboat has entered Venice, it continues along the Grand Canal, from the Accademia to the Rialto Fish Market. Rialto Fish Market is definitely a place that you have to see, especially in the morning when it is still alive and full of people selling and buying fish, vegetables and fruits.

St Mark’s Square When James Bond and Vesper leave the hotel (unfortunately is not ours but the interiors are those of the Czech National Museum in Prague), Vesper tells 007 she will go to the bank, in reality she’s going to meet Mr Gettler.

Bond reaches Saint Mark’s Square and goes straight to the Basel Bank. We have to tell the truth though: there is no Basel Bank in Saint Mark’s Square. Sotoportego de le colonne In the scene where Bond is following Vesper, you can easily read a sign saying “Sotoportego de le Colonne”.

This place is actually in Castello district and you can easily reach it from Saint Mark’s Square. Benedetto Marcello Conservatory of Music The meeting between Vesper and Mr Gettler is not in Saint Mark’s Square, but in the court of a famous Venetian building: The Benedetto Marcello Conservatory of Music.

The conservatory of Venice has his home inside one of the most wonderful building in Venice: Pisani Palace. In Casino Royal, this is palace collapses (don’t worry, it is still there), the thing is that this building is located in Campo Santo Stefano, which is not near Rialto Fish Market, as it is shown in the movie.

Where were the Montenegro scenes in Casino Royale filmed?

CZECH REPUBLIC – The black-and-white-scene where Bond gets his 00-status was filmed at the Danube House in Prague. Later on, the Czech capital doubled for various places in Miami and Italy. The National Museum’s lobby stands for the hotel in Venice. The “Body World” exhibition in Miami has its exteriors from the Ministry of Transport in the city center, and interiors from the Vitkov Monument , on the hill between Zizkov and Karlin. Casino Royale movie locations: The picturesque village Loket in Bohemia The Montenegro scenes also had been filmed in Czech Republic. The small picturesque village, where Bond meets Mathis is Loket in Bohemia, the Casino town then is Karlovy Vary. Bonds “Hotel Splendide” is the Grandhotel Pupp , the casino is the old Kaiserbad Spa just across the street. The train station, where Bond and Vesper (Eva Green) arrive, is the Mill Colonnade in the heart of Karlovy Vary.

• The Prague International Airport doubles for the Miami Airport, and the library inside the famous Strahov Monastery is a stand in for the British government hub, M visits in the movie;
• The driving scene – including the “Ms;

Broadchest” talk – had been filmed in the street, that connects the Mill Colonnade with the Grandhotel Pupp.