After visiting Bellagio, which sits between the two southern branches of Lago di Como, we got back on our boat and continued down the southwest branch toward the city of Como. Not long after leaving Bellagio, we saw this villa, which is sometimes called "the house of 50 chimneys".
We soon came upon the Villa del Balbianello, which was used for on-location shooting in Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones, along with other nearby places. Like Anakin and Padme, you can have your wedding there, too. The villa was also used in the recent James Bond movie Casino Royale. As you can see, we were not alone.
The next shot is from the south side of the villa.
We later came upon this villa, owned by Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines. We were told we could stay there for a $30,000 per night. According to this site, the rate is 115,000 Euros per week.
On the east side of the southwest branch of Lago di Como is Nesso, where several swimmers congregate next to a house that's right on the water.
In another part of Nesso, this bridge connects two neighborhoods separated by a gorge and a waterfall.
Further down Lago di Como on the west side is the village of Moltrasio, where Winston Churchill vacationed after the end of World War II (and losing his re-election bid), spending much of his time painting.
Not far from Como in the village of Cernobbio is the Villa D'Este, one of Italy's best-known hotels.
Not long after passing the Villa D'Este, we arrived in Como and were reunited with our bus. We then rode to Stresa, on the west shore of Lago Maggiore, where we would stay for the rest the tour. After settling in, I took a look across the street.
I could also see Lago Maggiore, including Isola Bella (beautiful island) and Isola dei Pescatori (island of the fishermen) behind it. We would visit both later on.
UPDATE: The specific page which indicated that Branson's villa can be rented for €115,000 per week no longer exists, so instead I've linked the site Discover Lake Como. Browse the place at your leisure.
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