A Villa Pizzo wedding takes place on a rocky point of the western shore of Lake Como, between Cernobbio and Moltrasio, in a villa that has belonged to only a handful of families in almost six hundred years. Its name comes from the local word for that point of rock. We are wedding photographers and videographers on Lake Como, and we filmed Dan & Christian's black-tie wedding here, planned and designed by Che Chic Wedding. This guide is what we learned there, with the history and the practical questions couples ask us most.

Six centuries on a point of rock

In 1435 Giovanni Mugiasca, a merchant from Como, bought the vineyards and olive groves on the promontory, and his family kept the estate for about four hundred years. During the plague of 1630 the family moved here and work on the park began; the house was renovated in the middle of the seventeenth century with a simple, elegant design. Alessandro Volta, the physicist who invented the battery, was a friend of the family, and the garden still keeps a monument dedicated to him.

When the last of the Mugiasca died, the villa went to the Sant'Anna hospital of Como, which sold it at auction. It was bought for Archduke Rainer of Habsburg, the Austrian viceroy in Milan, who devoted himself to the park with real passion. In 1865 it passed to Madame Musard, who redecorated the rooms in a Pompeian style, and in 1871 to the Volpi Bassani family, who still look after it today.

The gardens

The Italian garden lies on the same level as the two main buildings, with paths, hedges and Baroque fountains. A long cypress avenue leads to an artificial grotto with water features, and a path once called "in Genoa" climbs a steep rock face planted with agaves and rare species. Further on, the park turns north toward Moltrasio beneath tall trees. At its center, the fountain dedicated to Volta is framed by the false ruins of a classical temple. For photographs, the garden gives you a different background every few steps, and the lake is never far away.

The ceremony: a staircase of statues

For Dan & Christian, Che Chic Wedding laid a black aisle runner up to a stone staircase lined with Baroque statues, with white flowers on every step and woven cane chairs for the guests. It was a strong, graphic setting, in black, white and green, and in the film it reads almost like a theater set. During the vows we kept one camera on the couple and one on their families, because the faces in the front rows say as much as the vows themselves.

Portraits on the balustrade

After the ceremony we took Dan & Christian to the stone balustrade above the water, with white flowers at their feet and the mountains of the eastern shore behind them. On Lake Como the western shore loses the direct sun early in the evening, behind the mountains, so we plan portraits here a little earlier than on other lakes and use the soft light that stays on the water. Inside, the baroque salon with its mirrors and stucco frames made a perfect quiet room for a few portraits before the party.

Dinner and the party

Dinner was set beneath white drapery, with a sweetheart table covered in flowers. The cake was a tall Italian fruit tart rather than a classic tiered cake, there was champagne poured straight from the bottle, and the party ran late under swags of white fabric and colored light. Black tie, a strong design and a lake outside the windows: few places on Lake Como carry a formal evening as well as this one.

Photography and film at Villa Pizzo

We plan the day around the light on the western shore, the boat arrivals at the dock and the timing of the ceremony on the terrace. For the film we record the vows, the speeches and the music with real sound, and we plan aerial images over the lake with the right authorizations, never above the guests. Watch Dan & Christian's wedding film at Villa Pizzo, and read about their wedding and others in our guide to same-sex weddings in Italy.

If you are looking for a Lake Como wedding photographer and videographer, this is how we work: photography first, with a film made by the same team, so the two tell one story. See also our guide to a Villa Erba wedding, a few minutes along the same shore.

Planning a Villa Pizzo wedding

• May, June and September are the easiest months on the lake: long evenings, green gardens and fewer storms than in high summer.
• Think about arrivals by boat. The villa has its own dock, and guests staying in Como or Cernobbio can arrive across the water.
• On the western shore the sun goes behind the mountains early. Plan the ceremony and the portraits with your photographer, not only around the dinner time.
• Agree the rain plan when you book, and see the covered spaces and the salons before you decide.
• Book a planner who knows the villa. Dan & Christian's wedding was planned and designed by Che Chic Wedding.
• Ask the villa early about permissions for drones and for any music late at night.

What a Villa Pizzo wedding costs

The villa is booked in exclusive use and prepares its own proposal, which depends on the season, the day of the week, the number of guests and what you add, from catering and flowers to lighting, boats and music. For the bigger picture, read our guide to Lake Como wedding costs and venues, and for photography and film, our investment guide.

Questions couples ask us

Where is Villa Pizzo?

In Cernobbio, on the western shore of Lake Como, between the center of Cernobbio and Moltrasio, about fifteen minutes from the town of Como and under an hour from Milan Malpensa in normal traffic.

Who owns Villa Pizzo?

The Volpi Bassani family, who bought it in 1871. Before them it belonged to the Mugiasca family from 1435, then to Archduke Rainer of Habsburg and to Madame Musard.

Can we have our ceremony at Villa Pizzo?

Yes, symbolic ceremonies on the terrace or in the garden are the most common choice. For a legal civil ceremony, many couples marry in a town hall on the lake and celebrate at the villa; our guide to getting married in Italy as a foreigner explains the options.

Do you photograph and film weddings at Villa Pizzo?

Yes. We are wedding photographers and videographers based in Rome, and we work on Lake Como every season. We filmed Dan & Christian's black-tie wedding at Villa Pizzo.

See more Lake Como destination weddings. Planning your Villa Pizzo wedding? Let's talk.