One of the enjoyable half days out was a boat trip on Lake Como looking at some of the ‘celebrity villas’. We boarded the chartered boat in Menaggio for an interesting and informative tour of the lake and some of the many villas owned by todays celebrities. 

Villa del Balbianello was built in 1790 and is currently owned by the Italian Foundation for the Environment. This villa is probably the most important for it was used in 2006 for filming the outdoor scenes of ‘Casino Royale’. The same villa can be seen in the Star Wars film ‘Attack of the Clones’ as well as ‘A Month by the Lake’.

Villa La Cassinella is set on a private estate with stunning views over the lake. There are actually four houses in the complex and includes a private swimming pool, hi tech gadgetry and can cater for a maximum of fifteen guests, providing a five star service.Today the villa is reputedly owned by Richard Branson. The villa is only accessible by boat.

Villa le Fontanelle was originally built in 1776 and previously owned by the Cambiaghi family. Versace purchased and completely refurbished the villa in 1977. The villa was sold around 2009 for a staggering $52 million to a Russian multi-millionaire.

Villa Oleandra is owned by George Clooney. The villa is 18th Century and has been previously owned by the ‘Heinz’ family. Mr Clooney has been noted to stay at the villa for upto four months of the year and apparently can often be seen riding his motorcycle around Lake Como.