The Giardino della Velarca in Ossuccio, on Lake Como, opens to the public, marking the completion of the restoration of the houseboat designed by the BBPR firm (Banfi, Belgiojoso, Peressutti, Rogers) in 1959 and restored by the FAI – Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano. After just over six months of work, the new green space, inaugurated on June 26, restores to the complex an element that was included in the original design but never built, enhancing the visitor experience with an area dedicated to welcoming guests, relaxing, and hosting small events.
The Velarca, donated to the FAI in 2011 by Aldo and Maria Luisa Norsa and open to the public since 2024 following a long and complex restoration project, is moored at the same spot where it was originally placed. The new garden covers an area of 325 square meters overlooking the lake, accessible from the state highway and situated between the steep slope dominated by the Torre del Barbarossa—another FAI property—and the lakeshore, with views of Isola Comacina and Villa del Balbianello. The area is part of the so-called “zocca de l’oli,” the inlet of Lake Como known for its particularly mild climate and the presence of olive trees.
The property had been purchased by the Norsa family with the intention of building a house there. However, the inability to build led the owners—at the suggestion of their architect friends at the BBPR firm—to conceive an alternative solution: a houseboat permanently moored in front of the property. From the outset, the project also included a garden designed to complement life on board, featuring cultivated terraces, olive trees, a vegetable garden, flowering plants, a small fountain, and a pergola overlooking the lake, conceived as a place for gathering and socializing.
Years later, architect Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso himself recounted that vision, describing the project “We also paid particular attention to the layout of the steep lakeshore, which formed a rustic garden with stone retaining walls, flowers, vegetables, climbing plants, olive trees, and amenities for impromptu lunches.” Although the project was never completed, the drawings preserved in the archives served as the basis for the restoration of the space carried out by the FAI.
The restoration faithfully reinterpreted the original design, adapting it to the needs of contemporary use. The garden retains its role as a complement to the houseboat but now welcomes visitors, offering a shaded area facing the lake and the Velarca, a reception area, and new restroom facilities. The opening coincides with one of the events of the “FAI Summer Evenings,” an initiative that features the Foundation’s properties with special evening openings and dedicated activities, also scheduled for July and August.
The landscaping incorporates elements of local building traditions. Low stone retaining walls, running parallel to the shore, define small terraces that host various plant species, while stone paths connect the different areas of the garden. Following the BBPR design plans, new olive trees were planted, alongside arbutus, pomegranate trees, and other shrubs characteristic of the Lake Como region. The existing olive trees and cypresses were preserved and maintained.
At the far end of the garden, a wooden canopy with a wicker roof was constructed, as originally envisioned in the 1950s design. The structure echoes the architectural style of La Velarca through clean lines and an oak framework consisting of pillars and double beams with a “knee-bent” profile, anchored to the wall by stone corbels. The design leaves the rear open to ensure natural ventilation. The new restrooms are also located under the canopy.
Near the entrance, a space dedicated to welcoming visitors has also been created, featuring a window overlooking the lake. The furnishings and finishes were also designed to complement the houseboat: the exterior cladding of mahogany-colored wooden slats, the flip-up shelves for displaying products, the interior furnishings, the textiles, and the blue floors all echo the materials and colors found inside the Velarca.
“It is not so much the fact of living on a boat that matters here, but rather the relationship that has been created between this moored boat, the dock, the stretch of water, and the garden: an environment composed of land, water, and boats—different elements in close proximity, moving back and forth between them,” wrote the designers in 1962. “The state of being ‘at anchor’ has its own precise and complete value.”
The restoration and enhancement work was carried out by the FAI thanks to collaboration with public agencies and contributions from private individuals, companies, and citizens. The Municipality of Tremezzina sponsored the initiative, while the Lario and Minor Lakes Basin Authority provided financial support for the project. Thanks to funding from the Lake Authority and the Lombardy Region, maintenance work was also carried out in 2024 on the Ossuccio pier, where the Velarca has historically been moored, and a new state-owned pier was built, also intended for boats transporting visitors from Villa del Balbianello. Starting this year, the pier also features an electric charging station, an infrastructure designed for electric boats operating on the lake, including those used for visitor transport services. The project has also received support from Nora McNeely Hurley / Manitou Fund, Friends of FAI, and FIMESA, which has been partnering with FAI since 2004.
La Velarca visiting hours: April 25 through October 18, daily except Mondays and non-holiday Wednesdays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last admission at 5 p.m.).
Tickets: Full price €8; Reduced price €5
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| Como: Restoration of the Giardino della Velarca is complete, and it is now open to the public |
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