Skip to content

Como

Villa Saporiti – La Rotonda

The neoclassical villa with its round central body facing the lake, where Napoleon stayed in 1797, now the seat of the Province of Como.

Visit duration
10–20 min
Booking
Not required
Area
First Basin
The Rotonda's lake front, its round body, columns and statues along the roofline.Szeder László · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Qazxsw · Public domain
  • Mister No · CC BY 3.0

1 / 3

The Rotonda's lake front, its round body, columns and statues along the roofline.

Szeder László · CC BY-SA 4.0

Why go

It was built between 1790 and 1793 for the Marchesa Eleonora Villani, and stayed in the family until 1858, when her heirs sold it to the Marchese Marcello Rocca Saporiti, who gave it its name.

It was designed by Leopoldo Pollack. The villa has two floors and keeps its original appearance and most of its original rooms. It is called the Rotonda for the large rounded central body of its lake front: an elliptical hall projecting from the rest of the building. Figures of water deities decorate its exterior. Among its guests at the end of the eighteenth century was Napoleon, visiting the lake in 1797. Since 1950 it has belonged to the Province of Como, which made it its seat: the lake front is seen well from the walk towards Villa Olmo.

  • Como's neoclassicism on the lakeside walk, between the centre and Villa Olmo.
  • The villa where Napoleon stayed in 1797.

Highlights

  • The round body of the lake front
  • The statues along the roofline

Getting there

  • On foot along the Passeggiata Lino Gelpi, from Piazza Cavour towards Villa Olmo; the entrance is at Via Borgo Vico 148.

On the map

Explore the lake
ComoVilla Saporiti – La Rotonda

© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL

What's on nearby

Events within a few kilometres, on now or coming up.

See all

Nearby: places, experiences, services

Distances as the crow flies.

Sources and credits

Verified at source1 Oct 2026Comune di Como — Oggi a Comoopens in a new tab

Sources and credits

Verified at source1 Oct 2026Comune di Como — Oggi a Comoopens in a new tab