Gallio Palace, Gravedona

The imposing palace was built in 1586 by Bishop Tolomeo Gallio. The palace was a secure stronghold from which the Gallio family extended its power over the entire western shore of Lake Como. The sumptuous mansion was raised above the ruins of the ancient castle of Gravedona, whose traces remain along the wall surrounding the park to the north. In the richly decorated rooms, Gallio’s pottery and numerous ebony and ivory panels set with precious stones were on display. The words of Sigismondo Boldoni, a seventeenth-century writer, give an idea of the splendour of the residence: ‘One can admire new and unknown paintings, which were brought from the farthest regions of India, after long journeys by land and sea, to more educated people. They surpass, however, the beauty of all the Graces, Ceres and Venus, represented in a single painting, and the companion of the latter, the Free Father…’. The Comunità Montana Valli del Lario e del Ceresio currently has its headquarters here.