Villa Pizzo, Cernobbio

Villa Pizzo, in Cernobbio, one of the most fascinating and historically rich residences on Lake Como. Available for guided tours and private events.

The name of the villa comes from the word Piz, which in the past times was used to indicate either the ridge of the sharp mountains, or to indicate the jutting out of the lake shores. In fact, the Villa was built right on the jutting out of the shore between Cernobbio and Moltrasio, the two municipalities that contend the territory.
The architecture is typical of the manor houses of the 15th – 16th century, sided by rural buildings, and it is characterized by the curt linearity of its style, by the rhythmical division of the flats, by the simple decoration on the front wall.

Visit the garden of Villa Pizzo, in Cernobbio, Lake Como

The garden that stretches between the two main buildings ( the manor house and the building set at its east) is after the Italian Style with paths that run between flowerbeds, fences and baroques fountains. On the west side of the garden is set the old dock that opens toward Villa D’Este, while the new dock dominates the bay of Moltrasio and, on the opposite shore, the promontory of Torno.
The entrance to the vast park is through the so called Ceppo that is placed a little further the dependence of the Hotel Villa d’Este. Having walked along a following one after the other of exotic trees you come to the so called Cypress Avenue along which opens a built-up grotto with some playing of the fountains. Avenues and paths are crossed and over passed by small bridges, little ponds and brooks and within them is set a fountain surrounded by the pretending to be antiques ruins of a classical temple, dedicated to the scientist Alessandro Volta.

The history of Villa Pizzo, in Cernobbio, Lake Como

It was July, 9th 1435 that Giovanni Muggiasca, a wealthy merchant of Como, bought a very vast area of land, not too far from the town, and cultivated with vineyards and olive groves, which stretched from the lakeshore to top of the back hills, crossed by the Via Regina, a fundamental way of communication for trading with the Northern towns. On this estate he had a manor house built to have a place where to stay during his visit at his property. Soon, next to the main building, were built a farmhouse with porticoes, terraces and rooms for servants, a number of barns and deposits for tools and crops, a stable and a cellar for producing and keeping wine, together with a small farm built on top of the hill.

For centuries, the whole estate passed by inheritance from father to son and when in 1630, the Great Black Plague burst all over Europe, the Muggiascas fled away from Como and took shelter at the Pizzo and gave refuge to a number of fellow-citizens who, in return for the given hospitality, were asked a financial support for the necessary works to make the park after the fashion of the times.

Toward to middle of the 17th century, also the manor house was restructured following a design of plain yet elegant features that already foretold the Neoclassic Style, with symmetric flight of stairs departing from the garden and lowering to reach the shores.

At the end of the 18th century, the Abbot Giovanni Francesco Muggiasca (who became Bishop of Como) had a small oratory built on the eastern side of the villa. He was the last of the Muggiasca to live in this villa and we owe to him the monument to Alessandro Volta set in the park, which consist in a classical urn with the symbol of the electric pile (battery).
Gian Battista Muggiasca left his property in heritance to the Saint Anna Hospital of Como that immediately put it on an auction sale. The property was bought by the engineer Bassani, who bought it on behalf of the Viceroy Reiner of Augsburg. It followed one of the most glorious periods for Villa Pizzo as it was frequented by nobles and learned men from all over Europe.  

Anyway, in 1848, when in Milan burst the riot against the Austrians rulers, the viceroy was forced to leave Como Lake and ne moved to Verona. The wide park of Villa Pizzo became a place for smugglers, who coming from Switzerland over passed either Valle Intelvi of Mount Bisbino and came down to the lake to bring and distribute underground patriotic leaflets printed in Lugano where some patriots like Giuseppe Mazzini had sought refuge. Even the two light cannons placed as ornament at the entrance of the villa were taken away by some rebels and used at the assault at the Barracks of S. Francesco in Como.

Would you like to visit or rent villa Pizzo for weddings or private events?

OFFICIAL VILLA PIZZO WEBSITE