Those of you who know about my total worship of all things StarWars and StarTrek will not be surprised to discover that we went to Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como. The villa has featured in many movies, including Star Wars II (Anakin and Armidala's wedding) and James Bond (the private hospital in Casino Royale).
The villa and gardens are absolutely stunning with 270 degree views of the lake and immaculately trimmed trees and climbing vines.
We did a guided tour inside the villa and were amazed to discover a treasure trove of artifacts collected by the 20th century Italian explorer Guido Monzino. The collection rivalled that found in most museums and included priceless artifacts from Chinese and Mayan civilisations, with some as old as 2000 BC. With great foresight, Monzino gifted the villa and all its contents to the National Trust of Italy when he passed away in 1988.
This was, without doubt, the most stunning place we have seen on our trip so far. If you ever get to Lake Como, don't miss it.
James and Andy are fans too - I will show them this. I didn't know you were a Trekky. How did I miss that?
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