Visited here in mid October & whilst didn’t see the glorious summer flowers, it was still beautiful & 100% worth visiting & exploring the gardens. We were lucky as it was a cloudy/sunny day, so we were able to appreciate the beauty of it. One of the good things in visiting in October was that is was also very quite. No queues & we could walk around in peace & quiet. A very beautiful villa & thoroughly recommended.

This Villa and Garden is a short walk outside Varenna. It is definitely worth the time to enjoy it. You can pay for the garden or the garden and villa. We did both. The garden is a beautiful landscape of trees and plantings along shore of LC. The views are stunning. The villa is a spectacular architecture with a lot of interior marble. It takes 1-2 hours to thoroughly enjoy this activity.

Don't miss this beautiful place even in the winter! The Villa is a short hike from Varenna ferry and then a nice walk along the lake viewing the beautiful gardens. There is a public restroom in the gardens along with a place to stop for a refreshment. Tours inside the Villa were limited to weekends only when I visited in March.

Founded on the site of a former women’s monastery, the Villa includes a magnificent terraced garden, where many rare botanical species from across the world thrive owing to the mild climate. We went here for the gardens, no interest in the museum. It's a stunning location on the shores of the lake.

This was the highlight of our Lake Como holiday. Varenna is so pretty and welcoming...a true gem and Villa Monastero is the most picturesque villa of all the villas we visited. Every two steps in the magnificent garden presented a picture-worthy spot. Lavish, beautifully-tended gardens and wonderful views of the lake! A must-see for anyone visiting the area!

The Villa is owned and operated by the Province of Lecco. The complex consists of the villa which has been transformed into a museum and the botanical gardens that surrounds it. Be prepared to walk. The gardens extend for nearly two km, and there are stairs and elevation changes. But the reward is some magnificent views of the lake, the mountains, and other villages. The Botanical Garden contains a wide variety of plants ranging from a simple kitchen garden to several rare species. All are marked with excellent descriptive signage. As you walk along the lake or climb the stairs, you will pass numerous statues and other elements of hardscape. The only downside was the extremely rude people who use the garden for a photo shoot. Women, and some men, often in groups of two to four, set up cameras on tripods and occupied the best viewing spots for long periods of time. Management really should control this activity because it is very frustrating when all you want is to take a quick photo, and then move on.

Visited during my birthday and we loved it! The entire Varenna is magical and beautiful place. Although it was very hot that day we still enjoyed our visit. The gardens are amazing and worth every penny. We also visited museum and really liked it. The garage across villa was full so we parked near train station and loved the nice walk around Varenna.