We decided to get another day pass for the lake, imagining we would visit both Villa Balbianello and Menaggio. Villa Balbianello, which perches on a peninsula, was spectacular.
The garden paths are lined with statuary, and the vistas are spectacular. Scenes from Casino Royal, Star Wars, and A Month at the Lake were filmed on the verandas, and as the boys said, they felt as if they were on Naboo. The house was built in the 1700 
on the foundation of a monastery (only the bell towers remain) but was completely redone by Guido Monzino, a wealthy businessman who was also an explorer who reached the North Pole and base camp at Mt Everest. The house, which can only be visited on a guided tour, was filled with Monzino’s collections of everything from Greek, Aztec, and Chinese artifacts as well as a room full of the artifacts of his explorations, including one of the sleds he used to reach the North Pole. It is not to be missed.
As always, a long lunch restores tired travelers. We never made it to Menaggio, but we needed to recharge our batteries, and once back in Bellagio, we fortified ourselves with yet more gelato and wandered our way back to apartment on our enchanted Medieval middle road.