Beautiful Bellagio

Bellagio was everything that Varenna and Menaggio were not---swarming with people, more tourist-friendly (signed better, etc.), busier, a little more modernized but still enchanting, and you should see the shopping opportunities.  From the moment we got off the boat, there were signs and shops all along the waterfront area.  Stores were offering all the things that one can love about shopping in Italy---leather goods, ceramics, Venetian glass, silk products (Como is the silk capital of Europe), some high fashion most-likely influenced by near-by Milan, Italian lace and other table linens, and other European specialties.  DJ suggested that we go shopping (what's happened to him?).  We shopped a while and then knew that we should head to the Villa Melzi as it was one of two must-see villas that kept showing up in books and on the internet!

After a fairly short walk, we found it along the water's edge once again.  It was much more upscale than Villa Monastero, with printed tickets and a colored brochure to assist you in your walk on the grounds.  The Villa was built for Francesco Melzi d'Eril (1753-1816), Duke of Lodi, vice president of the Italian Republic under Napoleon and successively Grand Chancellor of the Italian Republic.  The residence served as home to Melzi at the end of his political career and as his summer residence until his death.  It was decorated and furnished by all the "big names" of the day.  The gardens were beautiful with sculptures throughout.

At the front of the gardens coming from the boat landing, we came upon an oriental garden with a water lily pool, full of fish.



There were several Japanese Maples that were gorgeous and so big.  I had only seen them more as an ornamental tree before.  Their leaves were so feathery.





We chose to walk up the back of the gardens, first.  I'll just let the pictures tell the story for the most part:



The front of the villa.  I would have to had stood in the middle of the lake to get the whole thing---pathetic shot, I know.  Below, is another shot of part of the Villa---not any better.  Sorry.

  

Four of these big guys (lions done in Egyptian style) adorn the front entrance.

 

This was really neat looking.  It was like a giant basket filled with flowers!





This series of storage areas (kind of like mini-garages) was actually cut in the rock formation making that hill so that when you look inside you see natural stone.  They keep the gardening supplies in there nowadays.

At the back of the villa property is a family chapel.  DJ waited outside on a bench while I snapped a few quick pics of the inside---wasn't sure if it was okay, but nobody was around.  I felt like I was on sacred ground.



The floors of the chapel proper were done in this mosaic.  It was quite impressive.



Some of the other floors were done in this.

 

Above the alter piece is a statue of Christ the Redeemer by Comolli.

The alterpiece had a relief of the holy family.

There were several funeral monuments along the walls.  I didn't take pictures of all of them:



A basin that I'm assuming was used to hold holy water for baptisms.



The chapel had a gorgeous rotunda.



One of several beautiful arches that surrounded the chapel area.


While I was in the chapel by myself viewing the reliefs of Christ, both as a newborn babe and as an adult, and then when I saw a painting of him in Mary's lap right after he'd been taken from the cross, I had very tender moments.  You see, it was Good Friday, and though the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is daily on my mind, I had been thinking a lot about Him as we walked that day---marveling that one as great as he, loved someone like me enough to do what he did.  My heart filled with love as I looked at that painting.  It was a special experience.

Back outside, I met up with DJ and we headed back around to see the part of the garden we hadn't seen yet:

Near the chapel there was even an area of bamboo growing!



Look at the size of this tree.  DJ has about a six-foot arm span, and he's over 6 feet tall.



Dante and Beatrice



These azaleas were 6-8 feet tall!  Gorgeous!

Here's my cute pack-mule.  I really did help carry some of these things, some of the time!



This was a Moorish style classical temple.

As we were leaving, we went around the other side of the oriental garden and went through a grotto-type, cave-type thing:



    

We boarded the boat and said, "arrivederci" to Bellagio!

 

We could have stayed longer and later.  We could have walked faster and rushed everything.  There was another villa to see further up one of the hills.  There were a couple of churches we could have seen, but it was all about that deal of enjoying ourselves.  We had walked a lot, shopped a lot, and had stopped to enjoy a lot in both Varenna and Bellagio.  We were ready to go back to our hotel and rest a bit.  We had dinner reservations at 7:30!

 

The view from our hotel room window---if you strain really hard, you can see mountains and Varenna on the other side of the lake! See what I mean about guaze and parchment paper?