Shared 4H Catamaran Tour on Lake Como - From Menaggio

We’ll meet at the Menaggio’s Public docks right in front of the Grand Hotel Victoria. At the starting time of the cruise and once everyone gets onboard we will move away from the shore and explain all the details of the tour.

We will start the navigation in a southerly direction passing first by the village of Griante and Cadenabbia where the famous Villa Carlotta is located with its award-winning Botanical Garden. Then from the lakefront of Tremezzo, the Mayer-Olivelli park, the magnificent Villa Sola and Mezzegra. A place where on April 28, 1945, the “Duce” Benito Mussolini and his partner Claretta Petacci were shot by the local Partisans, thus ending the Fascist dictatorship in Italy.

We will then reach the heart of the town of Lenno, in a logo called by the locals “The Gulf of Venus”. We will then skirt the small port and the lakefront of the village until we reach the Balbianello peninsula, the point from which the gardens of the homonymous Villa begin.

Following the balbianello peninsula will appear before us the famous Villa del Balbianello with its cantilevered gardens over the water, built in the eighteenth century is surrounded by Lake Como on three sides stands imposing and majestic. For centuries the private residence of important families and since the 1980s the Museum and Garden owned by the Italian Environmental Fund has become famous throughout the world thanks to some renowned films filmed inside the property such as Star Wars: the Clone Wars and 007 Royale Casino.

Bordering it is the equally beautiful Villa la Cassinella, also located on the promontory and facing south extends sinuous along the shores of Lake Como.Despite being more recently built than many other villas on the shores of Lake La Cassinella, it offers its guests a magnificent garden in which the Manor Villa with swimming pool, an outbuilding Villa, two private docks and even a Tennis Court are located. Property that can be rented for short or long stays is accessible only by boat thus offering the highest privacy and tranquility possible. Once you reach Ossuccio you will be presented in front of the renowned Villa Balbiano, an elegant residence of the 1600s. Today it is one of the most exclusive locations of the lake chosen by many couples as the perfect place for their wedding. From 2025 it is also possible to rent the Villa inside which the frescoes and the original furniture are still located.

So here we are at the singular and immaculate Isola Comacina, the only island on the lake overlooking the shores of Sala Comacina and Ossuccio forming the gulf of the “Zoca de l’oli” so called because of the remarkable tranquility of its waters, precisely “smooth as oil”. This is an area that enjoys such a mild climate to favor the flowering of Olive trees and Mediterranean essences. During the stop will be served a glass of wine and also you can take a dip and enjoy the calm waters of the island gulf

Once again we will sail first in the direction of Lezzeno and then along the shores of the Lake until we reach San Giovanni, a town adjacent to Bellagio and famous for its many luxury residences by the lake. Once in the vicinity of Bellagio we will find ourselves in front of the imposing Villa Melzi with its characteristic English gardens which you can also visit. Historical residence of the Melzi d’Eril family, the Villa built in 1808 has now become one of the most visited places on Lake Como thanks to its gardens that offer its visitors breathtaking views and a breath of fresh air away from the crowded Bellagio.

After the circumnavigation of Bellagio we will then stop for a short stop near the gardens of Villa Giulia (not visible from the lake) for a moment of relaxation during which you can again immerse yourself in the calm waters of the lake. During the stop will also be offered a small aperitif consisting of local cold cuts and cheeses always accompanied by a fresh glass of wine.

After the aperitif we will resume sailing for the last time passing between Varenna and Bellagio to head towards the western shore of Lake Como and then return in the direction of Menaggio. Once we reach the Grand Hotel Menaggio we will prepare to dock at the public wharf of Menaggio located near the Victoria hotel where our cruise will end.