Villa Cipressi | Grandi Giardini Italiani

History

The Villa of Cypresses is an impressive collection of ancient buildings and splendid gardens in Varenna, on the east coast of Lake Como. Its records begin with the aristocratic Serponti family in 1163, passing to Baron Isimbaldi at the close of the eighteenth century, the Andreossi family who embellished the park in the nineteenth century, then the Englishmen Sir Astley and Sir Salton at the beginning of the twentieth century followed by the publisher Accame. In 1980 Villa Cipressi was bought by the people of Varenna through a voluntary public subscription and now it is the property of public institutions with the Varenna Municipality, managed by the R Collection Hotels group who saw to its restoration, combining its historic essence with functionality in an elegant hotel.
The beauty of the buildings is enhanced by a magnificent botanical gar- den, with stairways and terraces leading down to the lake. The climate is amenable to planting species unusual for northern Italy, such as American agaves of which some specimens date back to mid-nineteenth century. The garden includes a remarkable collection of Agavaceae and Mediterranean species such as the strawberry tree, myrtle, pittosporum, tamarisk, various species of palm, standard oleanders and slender, elegant cypresses. There are also rare specimens of the Californian Cupressus macrocarpa (Monterey cypress).
A footpath guides visitors through mixed borders flowering through the seasons: after the camellias and azaleas in spring, gardenias, hydrangeas and roses bloom in summer and the beds are filled with annual flowers. Even winter offers its emotions with the scent of calycanthus, mahonia and sarcococca, and in spring wisteria, shading the pergola and filling it with perfume: a perfect spot for enjoying a view over the lake.

How to get here

By car
From Linate Airport: take the ring road Tangenziale Est following signs towards motorway A4 to VENICE. After about 10 km take the exit towards the ring road Tangenziale Nord - E64 - A4. Continue for approximately 6 Km and take the exit SS36 Lecco / MONZA. Once in Lecco on the SS36 follow the highway towards directions for SONDRIO - VALTELLINA and take the exit for Mandello del Lario - ABBADIA LARIANA - VARENNA. Continue for approx. 15 km along the road that runs along the lake until you reach the exit for Varenna, on the left.

From Milan Malpensa Airport: take the motorway A8 towards Milan and continue until the exit Viale Certosa. Take the motorway A4 in the direction MONZA, take exit CINISELLO BALM for the SS36 direction Lecco - Sondrio. Once in Lecco on the SS36 follow the highway towards directions for SONDRIO - VALTELLINA and take the exit for Mandello del Lario - ABBADIA LARIANA - VARENNA. Continue for approx. 15 km along the road that runs along the lake until you reach the exit for Varenna, on the left.

By public transports
Arriving by plane from the airports of Milan Linate or Malpensa there is a shuttle service to Milano Centrale train station. At Linate Airport, you can buy the train ticket at the ticket Trenitalia on the ground floor of the arrivals area.

Bus from Linate: depart every 30 minutes from 6:10 am until 23:30 pm. The journey takes about 20 minutes and tickets can be purchased on Euro 4,00 per person.

Bus from Malpensa: depart every 20 minutes, the service is active 24 hours.The journey takes about an hour and tickets can be purchased on board at Euro 7,00 per person

By train: The train station in Varenna-Esino is located on the railway line Milan - Sondrio - Tirano. From Milan it takes about 50 minutes. The ticket office at the station of Milano Centrale is located on the ground floor, while the platforms are upstairs. The train station in Varenna-Esino has no ticket office: in the village there are a travel agency and a bar that sale tickets. You can take a taxi from the trainstation VARENNA - ESINO to the Hotel the cost is Euro 10,00 per way.

Parking
Garage - 200mt far form the hotel

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl