Park

In 1846, Villa del Grumello passed to the Genoese family of Celesia, who rearranged it upon architect Nessi’s designs, expanded the gardens and had a herm erected in memory of Foscolo.
The current layout of the park "which encloses the villa with a quiet, shady and flowering strip", is the work of Count Paolo Celesia, a famous naturalist, and "features a romantic composition design alternating clearings and ancient plant groups, arranged according to an ingenious plan, forming highly evocative landscapes, oriented towards the lake and towards Mount Olimpino" (C. Bascapè, 1966 - Ville e parchi del lago di Como).

The park was cherished by all the owners of Villa del Grumello: Count Giambattista Giovio praised "the wonderful panorama and said that “no view of the lake or the mountains is unflattering or goes unrewarded". And Countess Celesia, in her bequest to Sant’ Anna Hospital of Como, stressed that "the wood overlooking the lake shall not be subdivided or cut down, but kept as is, and missing trees shall be replaced…".

The greenhouses

Dating from the end of the eighteen century, the greenhouses are next to a small pond in one of the most secluded, yet sunny parts of the park. They are from the same period of the balcony of the villa and are extremely valuable.

Votive Chapel

Countess Celesia had this small chapel built in memory of her son Paolo, who was born in 1872 and had an early death in 1916. He was a passionate naturalist and we owe him the current layout of the park. The church is located to the north, in an ideal spot for breaks and chats.
The Countess hoped – in vain – to have her beloved son’s remains interred there. Instead, he lies in the Monte Olimpino cemetery. In her bequest to Como hospital, she expressly requested that the church be preserved, since it was an archive of family memories and contained a bass-relief sculpture dedicated to the Count.

The Stables

Located near the Villa, the stables are divided into two floors and used to house stable men.
A wonderful stone bathtub, very likely of Roman origin, is located in the hallway, between the two lateral building. The stables are next in line for restoration, and will probably be used as guesthouses.

Dockyard

To the north there is the access to the large fisherman's dockyard, which is connected to Villa del Grumello through the cellars.
Through the years, the various owners acquired the automatic fishing rights that came with their purchase of the Villa, and this practice continues to this day.

The gate house

The gate house is a multi-storied building with ogival windows outlined by valuable terracotta decorations. Also this building will soon undergo restoration.