Villa Erba

In 1897, Luigi Erba, brother of a well-known Lombard pharmaceutical industrialist, commissioned the construction of a lakeside residence on the site of a 15th-century Cluniac Benedictine monastery. The new, square building features arcades on all four façades, a tower and a wide staircase leading down to the lake.

In 1922, the property passed to the owner's daughter Carla, wife of Duke Giuseppe Visconti of Modrone. The couple had a son,Luchino Visconti, who became a famous director of films including Il Gattopardo and Death in Venice. Luchino spent part of his childhood at Villa Erba, where he is said to have amused himself by frightening tourists strolling along the lakeside. During the Second World War, the building was requisitioned by the German army for the use of its officers.

Today, Villa Erba is a venue for trade fairs, conferences and concerts. The modern exhibition structure built on its grounds was designed by architect Mario Bellini, who conceived it as a contemporary interpretation of 18th-century greenhouses.

Villa Erba is located just outside Cernobbio, in Largo Luchino Visconti, along the Strada Regina from Como to Cernobbio.