Program 2024, Villa Monastero, Varenna

Villa Monastero, set in a magnificent botanical garden that stretches for almost 2 km along Varenna’s lake shore, is one of the area’s main historical and landscape sites. It originates from and takes its name from the ancient convent of nuns of the Cistercian order dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, which arose at the end of the 12th century. In 1567 it ceased to be a convent and in 1569 it was sold to the Mornico family, who transformed it into a patrician residence through a series of architectural interventions ranging from Baroque to Neoclassical to late 19th century eclecticism. It is now a museum and home to an internationally renowned conference center.