Villa Monastero in Varenna, owned by the Province of Lecco, represents one of the most interesting examples of an eclectic late nineteenth-century residence. Overlooking the eastern branch of Lake Como and surrounded by a Botanical Garden of great scenic impact, it is one of the main attractions of the area for its strategic location and the various services provided by the complex. Popular with the public, it welcomed 209,337 visitors in 2022.

The Villa originated from the transformation of an ancient female monastery of Cistercian foundation dedicated to the Virgin Mary, built at the end of the twelfth century as a filiation of the one in Acquafredda, in the nearby Lenno. In the mid-sixteenth century, it was purchased by the Mornico family, who held the property for more than three centuries and made it known on Lake Como as Villa Leliana. Passed on to other owners, including Carolina Blondel Maumari (granddaughter of Enrichetta Blondel, the first wife of the writer Alessandro Manzoni) and Walter Kees, who gave it its current eclectic appearance, in 1939 it was donated by the Milanese De Marchi family to become public property and the seat of a museum.

Today it presents itself as a House Museum with an exhibition path of 14 fully furnished rooms that have retained original decorations and furniture, obtaining museum recognition from the Lombardy Region in 2004.

The Botanical Garden, which extends along the lakeshore with a path of almost 2 km, is rich in particular and rare botanical species. The plant species exceed 900 specimens, including various species of palms, citrus fruits, cedars, cypresses, magnolias, and collections of hydrangeas, roses, wisterias, and jasmine, which together with the usual Mediterranean flora characterize it for its unique and particular appearance. Included in the one hundred most beautiful gardens in Italy, it has also achieved important regional recognition as a national museum. Thanks to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (2022), it is the subject of a significant enhancement and requalification intervention that will make it even more charming and aims to restore the stylistic and botanical coherence, ensuring the efficiency of the systems to renew in a sustainable way the virtuous relationship between the plant, environmental, and architectural components that have shaped over time the uniqueness of Villa Monastero. The plant heritage is brought back to the original design and proportions through careful work to enrich the botanical collections and improve the cultivation conditions. The visit to the Villa is also enriched through multimedia and interactive paths, with a revisitation of the botanical and museum collections and a specific in-depth analysis regarding the monastic period, from which the residence takes its name.

Villa Monastero also has a Conference Center, internationally known for the courses of the Italian School of Physics, which saw the presence of Enrico Fermi in 1954 (the main hall is named after him, the former church of the Cistercian monastery) and the succession of more than sixty Nobel Prize winners. Today it offers organizations, universities, and companies the opportunity to hold conferences, seminars, training courses, and workshops in a suggestive setting rich in history.

The Exhibition Space is used to host temporary exhibitions of painting, sculpture, photography, and art objects.

The context of the Villa is also ideal for educational activities that include paths, in-depth workshops, and playful activities dedicated to school groups and families.

Villa Monastero, due to its charming location and enchanting atmosphere, is now one of the most sought-after venues for events and a perfect residence for celebrating weddings or as a photo shoot location for personal shoots, prestigious Italian and foreign fashion magazines.

Villa Monastero is part of the Museum System of the Province of Lecco, a reality that includes 51 museums and cultural assets located in the Lecco area, with artistic, historical, architectural, and landscape assets that characterize and enrich it: extraordinary places, now proposed and enhanced through 10 paths called SIMPLe Ways, revealing 78 stimulating destinations for those who want to immerse themselves in an environment of rare natural beauty where traces of the local cultural heritage are still preserved.