Villa del Balbianello

This is a venerable estate on the shores of Lake Como with ties back to the Catholic Church as it was originally a Fransican Monestary and later owned by a cardinal.

However, this tour is more of a modern history. The last owner, Guido Monzino, who died at age 60 in 1988, and donated the estate.

Monzino gained his wealth from owning department stores. A single man and an avid explorer.

This tour was actually the most enjoyable home I have toured. The home and grounds were stunning.

It was old and concurrent with my lifetime as well (that actually could be sad). This was relatable (not the wealth, but the timeframe).

Adventuresome - Monzino was an explorer. He planned, financed and participated in many expeditions over 20 years, including Mt Everest. The first (and so far only) Italian led expedition. He also led an old school expedition to the north pole utilizing sleds and teams of huskies. His collections were fun to see.

And last but not least, there was the Star Wars connection. There were scenes from the "Attack of the Clones" that were shot here. And while I do not have a connection to it, we do have a connection to boys. There was no minor amount of fun in getting photos to share with the boys.

I have to mention a couple of things about the Star Wars Connection. The place is gorgeous and photo worthy, but the lines were formed for the Star Wars photos. 2 different locations and the fans were particular to get the photo correct. We were fortunate to have a fan in our tour group to help us along. Additionally, there was a couple of older (I think) Japanese ladies in our group that needed to leave the tour early or miss their boat. The question they asked before making their decision?

"Will there be any more Star Wars stuff to see?"

After getting photos of My Lovely in the pose and in the position, I could not wait to text the boys (sleeping in the middle of the night back in the states). I wanted them to wake to pictures of mom and Star Wars.

Jacob's response..." So freaking jealous....How did you get on Naboo?" (Answer ..smuggled aboard the Millennium Falcon!)

Sam's response to Bear's pic..."Bro's literally Anakin!"

So much fun!Read more