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Italy / Lombardy - Lake Como

Italien / Lombardei - Lago di Como

 

Villa Carlotta

 

Lake Como (Italian: Lago di Como [ˈlaːɡo di ˈkɔːmo], locally [ˈkoːmo]; Western Lombard: Lagh de Còmm [ˈlɑː‿dːe ˈkɔm],[a] Cómm [ˈkom] or Cùmm [ˈkum]), also known as Lario (Italian: [ˈlaːrjo]; after the Latin: Larius Lacus), is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy.

 

It has an area of 146 square kilometres (56 sq mi), making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over 400 metres (1,300 ft) deep, it is the fifth deepest lake in Europe and the deepest outside Norway; the bottom of the lake is 227 metres (745 ft) below sea level. One notable characteristic is its distinctive "Y" shape.

 

Lake Como has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times, and a very popular tourist attraction with many artistic and cultural gems. It has many villas and palaces such as Villa Olmo, Villa Serbelloni, and Villa Carlotta. Many famous people have owned homes on the shores of Lake Como, including George Clooney, Madonna, and Donatella Versace.

 

In 2014, The Huffington Post described it as the most beautiful lake in the world for its microclimate and environment with prestigious villas and villages.

 

Etymology

 

The lake's official name is Lario (derived from the Latin Larius), but it is rarely used informally, while it is still used in formal language; it is also found in the toponym of some villages along the lake such as Pognana Lario and Mandello del Lario; Italians usually call it Lago di Como.

 

Geography

 

The lake is shaped much like an inverted letter "Y". The northern branch begins at the town of Colico, while the towns of Como and Lecco sit at the ends of the southwestern and southeastern branches respectively. The small towns of Bellagio, Menaggio and Varenna are situated at the intersection of the three branches of the lake: a boat service operates a triangular route between them.

 

Lake Como is fed primarily by the Adda, which enters the lake near Colico and flows out at Lecco. This geological conformation makes the southwestern branch a dead end, and so Como, unlike Lecco, is sometimes flooded.

 

The mountainous pre-alpine territory between the two southern arms of the lake (between Como, Bellagio, and Lecco) is known as the Larian Triangle, or Triangolo lariano. The source of the river Lambro is here. At the centre of the triangle, the town of Canzo is the seat of the Comunità Montana del Triangolo lariano, an association of the 31 municipalities that represent the 71,000 inhabitants of the area.

 

History

 

At the beginning of the first millennium B.C. during the Iron Age, the Comum oppidum was born and the civilization of Como developed, inserted in the broader Golasecca culture. In 196 B.C. the army of the consul Claudius Marcellus defeats the Celts tribe of the Comenses and conquered the city. Comum was then strengthened and rebuilt after a raid by Rhaetian and repopulated with 3,000 settlers in 77 BC. Finally, after having reclaimed the marshy area, in 59 B.C. it was re-founded with the name of Novum Comun in its current location on the lake shore at the behest of Gaius Julius Caesar. Pliny the Younger, in one of his Epistulae, describes the lake and its surrounding area as providing plentiful opportunities for fishing and hunting. According to the Notitia Dignitatum, at least since the 4th century, a Praefectus commanding a Roman military fleet was present on the lake.

 

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the waters of the lake were the scene of military clashes, such as in the 12th century during the war of Milan against Como, which saw the Como fleet in action against the ships of the Milanese and their allies or between 1525 and 1532 due to the Musso war unleashed by Gian Giacomo Medici.

 

On 28 April 1945, deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was executed in the lakeside village of Giulino, about 180 metres (590 ft) from the waterfront.

 

Tourism

 

As a tourist destination, Lake Como is popular for its landscapes, wildlife, and spas. It is a venue for sailing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing.

 

Although generally considered safe, bathers aiming to find relief from the heat and swimming enthusiasts alike should exercise caution, as a prevailing regulation prohibits diving and swimming both in the city of Como and in the various small villages along the lake. Exceptions are found only in privately managed lidos or designated public beaches where explicit signage permits swimming activities. This prohibition stems from the danger posed by the lake's waters that swiftly transition from shallow to deep near the shoreline and from unpredictable aquatic conditions, which have led to numerous incidents, including drowning cases attributed to sudden thermal shock.

 

Transportation

 

Lake Como is served by a public transport system connecting the various villages on the lake. A motorized service began in 1826 when a steamship with sails, the Lario, was launched by the newly established Società privilegiata per l'impresa dei battelli a vapore nel Regno Lombardo Veneto. Since 1952 the fleet has been managed by a government organisation named Gestione Commissariale Governativa and later Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi, which is also responsible for transport services on Lake Maggiore and Lake Garda.

 

There exist three primary services:

 

Motorship services along the western branch and north towards Colico and back to Como, with additional shuttles to the mid-lake area;

 

Fast services that broadly follow the same route but with fewer stops; the service, which is more expensive, is operated by hydrofoils;

 

Ferries able to carry passengers and cars across the popular tourist destinations Menaggio, Bellagio,Varenna and Cadenabbia.

 

Economy

 

Lake Como attracts visitors from around the world and as a consequence the economy of the towns surrounding Lake Como is predominantly dependent on tourism and related activities. The tourism sector stimulates local businesses, including hospitality, restaurants and retail, while also fostering the growth of ancillary services such as transportation, cultural tours and recreational activities. This reliance on tourism has led to significant investments in infrastructure and amenities to accommodate and enhance the visitor experience, making it a vital component of the regional economy.

 

In literature and the arts

 

Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poem The Lake of Como was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, in 1837. It illustrates a painting by Samuel Prout, engraved by William Miller.

 

In 1818 Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote to Thomas Love Peacock: "This lake exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty, except the arbutus islands of Killarney. It is long and narrow, and has the appearance of a mighty river winding among the mountains and the forests."

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Villa Carlotta is a villa and botanical garden in Tremezzo on Lake Como in Northern Italy. Today the villa is a museum, whose collection includes works by sculptors such as Antonio Canova, Bertel Thorvaldsen, and Giovanni Migliara; painters such as Francesco Hayez; and furniture pieces of previous owners. The villa, whose architect is unknown, was completed in 1745.

 

History

 

Clerici family

 

The Clerici family rose from rural origins in the northern region of Lake Como to become successful silk merchants due to the efforts of Giorgio (1575-1660) and his sons Pietro Antonio (1599-1675), who was made a Marquis, and Carlo (1615-1677) who became the owner of numerous palaces in Milan and Brianza.

 

Carlo's son, the Milanese marquis Giorgio Clerici, became a senator in 1684 and was nominated in 1717 to be President of the Senate. In 1690, he decided to establish a country estate on ancestral lakeside land at Tremezzo. The estate was complete in its initial form by 1695, and the garden was first mentioned in 1699.

 

Upon the death of Giorgio Clerici, his great-grandson Anton Giorgio Clerici (1715-1768) inherited the family fortune, and completed the villa in 1745. He died after having dissipated nearly all of his fortune building the Palazzo Clerici in Milan, forcing his heirs to sell their Lake Como property.

 

Sommariva

 

In 1801, Anton Giorgio's only daughter, Claudia Caterina Clerici (the wife of Count Vitaliano Bigli), sold the property to Giovanni Battista Sommariva, a banker and politician who had risen from barber's apprentice to a position of power in Napoleon Bonaparte's government in Northern Italy. In 1802, he was a candidate for vice president of the Republic of Italy, but Napoleon selected Francesco Melzi d'Eril for the post instead. With his political career thwarted, Sommariva retired from public life and devoted his time to collecting art.

 

Sommariva modified the villa to bring it in line with early 19th-century taste, adding balconies to take in the lake view and installing a large clock on the facade, He commissioned works from artists, including the sculptors Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorwaldsen, and the painter Francesco Fidanza, whose works feature in the villa today. He built a domed family chapel and a mausoleum near the lake shore, and transformed part of the park into a romantic garden in the English style. For a time the house was known as Villa Sommariva.

 

Because Sommariva's eldest son, Emilio, had died fighting in Spain in 1811, Sommariva's fortune was left to his second son, Luigi. After Luigi's death in 1838, the fortune (by then much diminished) was divided between his wife, Emilia Sommariva (a French noblewoman née Seillère) and numerous relatives.

 

Sachsen Meiningen

 

In 1843, Princess Marianna, the wife of Prince Albert of Prussia, bought the property for 780,000 lira, ten times the amount paid by Giovanni Sommariva forty years earlier. Emilia Sommariva relocated to a smaller house in Tremezzo, while reserving for herself ownership of the Sommariva family chapel and mausoleum on the grounds of the villa.

 

In 1847, Princess Marianne gave the property to her daughter Charlotte as a wedding present upon her marriage to Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (1826-1914). The house was renamed Villa Carlotta, however, Charlotte enjoyed the villa for only a few years before she died in 1855 at the age of twenty-three of complications from childbirth.

 

In 1857, the author Ludwig Bechstein wrote a description of the villa which was published as Villa Carlotta. Poetische Reisebilder vom Comersee und aus den lombardisch-venetianischen Landen.

 

The Sachsen-Meiningens used the property as a private holiday home. While they didn't make substantial changes to the building, they sold part of the art collection that came with the property. Duke Georg, who had a passion for botany, dedicated himself to the development and enrichment of the garden, introducing a great variety of rare and exotic species. The Duke was a patron of the composer Johannes Brahms, who visited the villa at the Duke's invitation several times in the 1880s. Duke Georg died in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I.

 

Public ownership

 

After Italy entered World War I in May 1915 on the side of the Allies, the Italian state declined to confiscate the villa, as it had other properties of enemy aliens in Italy, but rather placed it, on 15 August 1915, under the management of an administrator. During the war, the interest of the owners was exercised by the Swiss Consulate.

 

In 1921, the financial administrator of Como Province informed the owners that the entire property was now the property of the Italian state arguing that the villa was of eminent national significance. It was proposed in 1922 that the villa would be sold at auction. However local enthusiasts led by Senator Giuseppe Bianchini and the Rotary Club of Milan opposed this, which led to the villa being entrusted to the care of the Ente Villa Carlotta, a charitable foundation constituted by royal decree on 12 May 1927. This foundation is still responsible for the villa.

 

Description

 

The villa and surrounding grounds are located on the lakeshore at Tremezzo, facing the Bellagio peninsula. An Italian garden with steps, fountains and sculptures was laid out at the same time.

 

The villa

 

The villa is located at the top of a terraced garden, from which there are views of Bellagio and also the mountains surrounding the lake. It consists of three floors (two of which are open to the public). The works of art on display are mainly located on the lower floor, while the upper one, which has an elegant gallery, provides views over the lake.

 

Among the sculptures on display in the villa are:

 

Eros and Psyche by Adamo Tadolini. This is a marble copy taken from the original model used by Antonio Canova for the sculpture commissioned by Prince Nikolay Yusupov (and today at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg). This copy arrived at the villa in 1834.

Mars and Venus by Luigi Acquisti. Dating from 1805 this is considered to be his masterpiece.

 

The original plaster model of The Muse Terpsichore by Antonio Canova. The sculpture was commissioned by Sommariva in 1811.

 

Palamedes by Antonio Canova. Sommariva commissioned this sculpture from Canova, but in 1805, when it was still in Canova's atelier in Rome, the Tevere River flooded the workshop and broke it into several pieces. Canova personally restored it, between 1806 and 1808. The sculpture arrived at the villa in 1819.

 

Repentant Magdalene. This is a copy produced by Canova's school of the original sculpture by Canova. Sommariva was also the owner of the original work.

 

The Entrance of Alexander the Great in Babylonia by Bertel Thorvaldsen. This work was originally designed in stucco for the Quirinale Palace in Rome to mark the occasion of Napoleon's visit. Completed in June 1812, it was so admired that Napoleon ordered a marble replica for the Pantheon in Paris. Napoleon's fall from power caused work to stop until in 1818 Sommariva decided to have it completed. The 33 marble slabs of the frieze arrived in the villa between 1818 and 1828. The last two characters at the end of the frieze are a self-portrait of Thorvaldsen and a portrait of Sommariva.

 

As well as paintings by Andrea Appiani and Giovanni Migliara there are also:

 

The Last Adieu of Romeo and Juliet by Francesco Hayez. This painting was commissioned by Sommariva in 1823.

 

The Reading of the VIth Book of the Aeneid by Jean-Baptiste Wicar. This large oil painting was commissioned by Sommariva in 1818. Before arriving at the villa it was exhibited with great success in Milan in 1821.

 

In addition, the villa is home to a collection of more than 470 plaster cameos created by the Roman artist Giovanni Liberotti and a large silk and wool tapestry by François Van der Borght.

 

The garden

 

The botanical garden covers an area of about 8 ha (20 acres)and consists of several different sections. Immediately around the villa, towards the lake, the Italian garden with cut hedges and pergolas with orange and camellia trees. The rhododendron and 150 varieties of azalea spread up the slope. The property is also home to cedars, palms, redwoods, plane trees and other exotic plants. there is also a bamboo garden, covering 3000 m2 which is home to over 25 different bamboo species. A greenhouse which had been used in the past to house citrus fruits during winter has been converted into a museum of old farm tools.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Der Comer See (Schweizer Schreibweise Comersee, italienisch Lago di Como oder Lario, lombardisch Lagh de Comm; lateinisch Lacus Larius) ist einer der oberitalienischen Seen. Er liegt vollständig in der Region Lombardei.

 

Charakteristisch sind die zahlreichen am Ufer liegenden kleinen Dörfer, von denen viele ihren eigenen Charakter bis heute erhalten haben. Viele der Villen (u. a. Villa Carlotta, Villa d’Este) stammen aus dem 15. Jahrhundert, als die Bewohner der Region durch die Seidenraupenzucht und die dadurch entstandene Seidenindustrie zu Reichtum gelangten. Während der Zeit Napoleons erbaute der Vizepräsident der italienischen Republik (1802–1805) Francesco Melzi d’Eril die Villa Melzi.

 

Durch das mediterrane Klima gedeihen viele subtropische Pflanzen wie z. B. Palmen, Zitrusfrüchte, Zypressen und Olivenbäume.

 

Geografie

 

Der Comer See, von den Einheimischen auch Lario genannt, ist 146 km² groß, 51 km lang und maximal 4,2 km breit. Damit ist er nach dem Gardasee und dem Lago Maggiore, gemessen an der Wasserfläche, der drittgrößte See Italiens. Mit einer durch seine charakteristische Form bedingten Uferlinie von 170 km übertrifft er die beiden vorgenannten Seen in diesem Punkt. Seine maximale Tiefe – vor Nesso – beträgt 425 m; damit ist er der tiefste See Europas außerhalb Norwegens.

 

Der Comer See wird von der Adda durchflossen. Er liegt in einem Zungenbecken des ehemaligen Addagletschers, das sich vor der Alta Brianza in die Arme von Como und Lecco teilt, und hat so die Form eines (umgekehrten) Y. Die Adda mündet bei Colico in den nördlichen Teil des Sees und verlässt ihn bei Lecco; der südwestliche Arm, an dem Como liegt, hat keinen anderen Abfluss.

 

Die einzige Insel im Comer See ist die etwa 7,5 ha große Isola Comacina. Sie war bereits in der Antike besiedelt, nach Zerstörung der Siedlungen im 12. Jahrhundert durch Truppen Comos aber lange unbewohnt.

 

Tourismus

 

Der Comer See ist ein Touristenziel mit zahlreichen Kurorten, Parks und Golfplätzen. Auf seiner Westseite liegt der Sacro Monte di Ossuccio, der 2003 in die Liste der Weltkulturerbe der UNESCO aufgenommen wurde. Die umliegenden Berge bieten Wander- und Klettermöglichkeiten. Durch das milde Klima gibt es eine reiche Vegetation. Jährlich im Frühjahr findet das Oldtimerevent Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este statt.

 

Prominente wie George Clooney besitzen ein Feriendomizil am Comer See. Dieser dient immer wieder als Filmkulisse, beispielsweise wurde hier für Star Wars: Episode II, Casino Royale oder Ocean’s 12 gedreht.

 

Der deutsche Bundeskanzler Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967) verbrachte dort auf seinem Anwesen in Cadenabbia viel Zeit. Nach der Niederlegung seines Amtes, kurz vor seinem Tod, schrieb er dort einen großen Teil seiner Memoiren. Die 1899 erbaute Villa La Collina mit ihrem Park wird seit 1977 als internationale Tagungsstätte von der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung genutzt.

 

Schifffahrt

 

Täglich fahren mehrere Boote zwischen Como und Colico, des Weiteren gibt es verschiedene Routen zwischen Como und Lecco oder Menaggio und Como bzw. Lecco. Es existiert eine Fährverbindung zwischen Lierna, Varenna, Menaggio und Bellagio.

 

Wassersport

 

Zwischen Bellagio und Colico herrscht ein reges Treiben von Wassersportlern, da dort zuverlässige Windverhältnisse herrschen.

 

Laut Berichten aus dem Jahr 2010 lässt die Wasserqualität an gewissen Stellen (durch fehlende Kläranlagen) zu wünschen übrig.

 

Windverhältnisse

 

Außer im Winter weht im oberen Teil des Comer Sees praktisch täglich ein thermischer Wind, die Breva. Am Morgen beginnt der Wind etwa ab 10 Uhr mit 1 bis 3 Bft und frischt am Nachmittag auf 3 bis 6 Bft auf. Juni bis September sind die besten Monate zum Wind- und Kitesurfen. Im Oktober lässt die Breva nach, um dann bis Anfang Februar ganz einzuschlafen.

 

Der Südwind Breva hat seinen Gegenpart im nördlichen Fallwind Tivano, der bei großem Luftdruckunterschied zwischen der nördlichen und der südlichen Seite der Alpen entsteht. Der Tivano weht bereits am frühen Morgen und ist oft stärker als die Breva, am stärksten in der Region von Lecco. Im Süden des Sees, im Larian-Dreieck, dem Gebiet zwischen den beiden Seearmen, bietet auch er gute Voraussetzungen zum Wind- und Kitesurfen.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Die Villa Carlotta ist eine Sommerresidenz aus dem 18. Jahrhundert in Tremezzo am Comer See, Lombardei, Italien. Sie dient heute als Museum und ist von einer großzügigen und mehrfach gegliederten Parkanlage umgeben. Sie war seit 1850 im Besitz des Fürstenhauses Sachsen-Meiningen, bis der italienische Staat sie nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg konfiszierte.

 

Geschichte

 

1690 wurde unter dem Mailänder Bankier Giorgio II. Clerici mit dem Bau der Villa begonnen. Unter seinem Sohn Antonio Giorgio Clerici wurde sie vollendet. Als dieser 1768 verstarb, erbte die Enkelin Claudia Clerici die Villa. 1801 verkaufte sie die Villa an Gian Battista Sommariva, der in der Cisalpinischen Republik (1797–1802) eine politische Karriere anstrebte. Als jedoch Napoleon Francesco Melzi d´Eril gegenüber ihm den Vorzug gab, endeten seine politischen Ambitionen und er widmete sich verstärkt dem Ausbau des Gartens und der Erweiterung der Kunstsammlung. Er starb 1826 und bereits 1838 auch sein Sohn Luigi. Das Erbe wurde zwischen seiner Frau Emilia Seillière und zahlreichen Verwandten aufgeteilt, die Villa musste verkauft werden. 1843 erwarb sie Marianne von Oranien-Nassau (1810–1883), Prinzessin der Niederlande und von 1830 bis 1849 mit Prinz Albrecht von Preußen (1809–1872) verheiratet. Diese vermachte das Anwesen 1850 ihrer Tochter Prinzessin Charlotte von Preußen als Geschenk zur Hochzeit mit Georg II. von Sachsen-Meiningen. Die Villa blieb im Besitz der Linie Sachsen-Meiningen bis zum Ausbruch des Ersten Weltkrieges. Am 15. August 1915 wurde sie unter italienische Staatsaufsicht gestellt. Schon während des Krieges musste der Intendant Max Wundel als deutscher Staatsbürger die Villa verlassen. Die Interessen der Eigentümer wurden vom Schweizerischen Konsulat wahrgenommen.

 

Um die Rückgabe der konfiszierten Villa entbrannte ein zwölfjähriger Kampf. 1921 teilte der Finanzverwalter der Provinz Como dem Verwalter des Eigentümers mit, der gesamte Besitz sei in das Eigentum des italienischen Staates übergegangen.[2] Der Wert der Villa wurde in der „Schadensdarstellung Seiner Hoheit...“ mit 8.762.500 Mark angegeben. 1927 erfolgte der endgültige Entscheid des italienischen Staates, dass die Villa aufgrund ihres hohen nationalen Wertes in italienischen Staatsbesitz überführt werde. Nach der Konfiszierung wurde die Ente Autonomo Villa Carlotta gegründet, der sich um die Erhaltung und Pflege der Villa und des Gartens kümmert.

 

Villa

 

Die Villa, die von der Familie Clerici im klassischen Stil des 18. Jahrhunderts errichtet worden war, wurde im Directoire-Stil unter Graf Sommariva erneuert. Er ließ das Dachgesims mit einer Balustrade und Vasen versehen sowie den Risalit mit einer Uhr über der Loggia krönen. Die Villa steht auf der obersten von fünf Terrassen, die in den Hang angelegt wurden. Vom Seeufer führt eine doppelläufige Treppe mit dekorativen Balustraden über die Terrassen zur Villa.

 

Das Innere der Villa ist heute ein Museum. Die Sammlung zeigt, neben Möbelstücken aus der Zeit der verschiedenen Besitzer, Werke von Canova, Thorvaldsen, Migliara und Hayez.

 

Garten

 

Die gesamte Parkanlage nimmt eine Fläche von ca. 8 ha ein und besteht aus unterschiedlichen Abschnitten. Unmittelbar um die Villa, zum Seeufer hin, liegt der italienische Garten mit geschnittenen Hecken und Pergolen mit Orangen- und Kamelienbäumchen. Den Hang aufwärts breitet sich der Rhododendron- und Azaleengarten aus. Der Bambusgarten bietet auf einer Fläche von 3000 m² über 25 Bambusarten. Die Familie Sachsen-Meiningen erweiterte den Garten um einen Steingarten und einen englischen Garten mit seltenen Bäumen und einer künstlichen Schlucht.

 

(Wikipedia)

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Uploaded on November 3, 2024
Taken on October 12, 2023