Villa Gallia, Como

Visit the historical villas of Lake Como: Villa Gallia in Como

Borgo Vico is a very antique settlement, as old as the hamlet of Coloniola, set on the opposite shore of the lake. An ancient Latin hymn describes these two Como suburbs "... Like two chelae that embrace the lake..."
Many times Borgo Vico was shelter for the people of Como, and mainly at dawn of the 27th August 1127, when the people of Milan forced them to leave their burning town; and only in this way they could save their life after they surrendered. In the heart of Borgo Vico at the gate of Como, it stands the antique villa Gallia, now the seat of the Province of Como Government.

The villa was built in 1615, for Marco Gallio, Cardinal Tolomeo's nephew, on a project by Architect Pellegrino Pellegrini, and it was probably set over the ruins of the villa that belonged to Paolo Giovio in the 16th century. But there one can find some even more antique remains, too, because it seems that on that very place was set Canino Rufo's villa, who was one of Pliny the Young's intimate friends.
In old times, afore the nowadays garden facing to the lake, there was a small island, or maybe a peninsula, all bays and coves, embellished with some dainty groves and flowerbeds (the nowadays garden), on which was set Paolo Giovio's Museum, and before that, the medieval castle of Vico.
Paolo Giovio himself writes about it in the preface of his Elogia virorum literis illustrium dedicate to Duke Ottavio Farnese. He states: nsula exurgit firmissimo parite circumsepta jucundamque eminetibus poniferis arborius.

Toward the middle of the 19th century, the villa passed on property to Gaetano Bellotti, who together with his wife Teresa Crivelli Visconti there lived a very brilliant life giving beautiful balls that very frequently turned into secret meeting for conspirators. The villa became shelter meeting place for the Italian Patriots of that time.

During the campaign of the 1866, Arrigo Boito together with the famous conductor Franco Faccio, were often guests of this family, as it is witnessed by some letters sent to them from the battlefields. From Villa Gallia they went by gondola to see Victoria Cima at Cernobbio, who was fond of Boito, being herself a patriot and Teresa Crivelli Visconti's cousin. 

Inside the beautiful room of the villa on can admire several works of art ad some frescoes by Morazzone.
In old times, the garden toward Borgo Vico stretched to reach the top of the back hill, but some years ago, it was cut and reduced to give way to the new provincial road Regina.