A former monastery from the twelfth century, terraced gardens that step down to the water, and no visitors but your own.Prices updated October 2026 · by Katerina
A private estate from the twelfth century on the western shore of Lake Como, between Villa del Balbianello and Villa Balbiano. Terraced gardens down to the water, an Orangerie for 180, and no visitors but your own.
The famous villas on this stretch of the lake are also museums. They are beautiful, and they are rarely completely yours. Monastero Pax is a private home that opens its gates only for celebrations, so the lawn by the water, the gardens and the Orangerie belong to you and your guests from three in the afternoon until midnight.
It has no guest rooms, which is exactly why it works so well for a larger wedding: you pay for the evening, not for bedrooms you would not fill. At a hundred guests, the cost per person is about a third lower than at fifty.
at a glance
At a glance
30guests at the least
100where it is at its best
180and not one more
Budget level: €60,000 to €150,000budget level
Where
Lenno, Tremezzina, western shore of Lake Como, between Balbianello and Balbiano
By boat
Public pier at Campo, a short walk
Format
Wedding day. The estate from 3 pm to midnight, with later hours possible
Best at
50 to 150 guests
Dinner
In the Orangerie, up to 180
Sleeping on site
None. Guests stay in hotels on the lake
Getting ready
In the main house
Ceremony
Symbolic on the lawn by the water. Civil at a town hall on the lake
Kitchen
Class Eventi, the estate's exclusive caterer
Music
Outdoors until 10 pm, in the Orangerie until midnight, in the lower rooms until 1:45 am
Rain plan
The Orangerie, which is already where dinner is served
the villa
The estate
Monastero Pax began in the twelfth century as a monastic retreat, and its name still says what it was for: pax, peace. Today it is a private residence in Lenno, on the stretch of the western shore that most couples dream of, with Balbianello on one side and Balbiano on the other.
The main house sits in a centuries-old park laid out on terraces, joined by stone stairs, ramps and small bridges, each level opening a different view of the lake and the mountains. At the bottom, a lawn runs right to the water. To one side stands the Orangerie, a hall of sixteen metres by twelve with a wooden floor.
Getting there. The estate has no jetty of its own, but boats dock at the public pier in Campo, a short walk away, which makes arriving by water the most beautiful way in. By road, coaches stop about 150 metres from the Orangerie gate. Milan Malpensa is about an hour and a half away, Como about forty minutes.
rooms
Where your guests stay
Monastero Pax is a private home, so nobody sleeps on the estate. Your guests stay in the hotels of Tremezzina, Menaggio and Bellagio, and we bring them in by boat or shuttle and take them home at the end of the night. We choose the hotels around what your particular guests care about: a lakefront room for the parents, a pool for the friends, a short walk to the pier for everyone.
the days
The day
The estate is yours from 3 pm. You get ready in the main house, and when it is time, you walk down through the garden to the lawn right above the water. The ceremony takes place there, with the lake behind you. Aperitivo follows on the same lawn, still facing the water, with prosecco and canapés while the light turns gold.
Dinner is served in the Orangerie. On a warm evening its doors open onto the garden, and if it rains, nothing about the plan changes. The party carries on there until midnight, and the late crowd can move to the lower rooms of the house until 1:45 am.
The days around the wedding are the lake itself: a boat to Bellagio, lunch at a lakeside trattoria, a visit to Villa Carlotta or Villa del Balbianello next door. We plan and book all of it.
ceremony
The ceremony, and what Italy requires
Symbolic, by the water. The lawn above the lake is reserved for ceremonies and aperitivo, and it is the most photographed spot on the estate. A symbolic ceremony carries no legal weight, so most couples sign at home before or after.
Civil, at a town hall on the lake. The estate cannot host a civil ceremony. If you want to be legally married in Italy, the civil ceremony takes place at a town hall on the lake, and you come to Monastero Pax to celebrate. We prepare the Nulla Osta, the translations and the apostilles, book the hall and bring the interpreter, and we add it for €3,500 including VAT, plus the town hall fee.
season
Season, weather and the rain plan
The estate works from spring to autumn. The main house is heated but not air-conditioned, and the Orangerie has neither, so heating or cooling for it is arranged with the caterer when the season asks for it. In July and August we plan the ceremony late and the aperitivo in the shade of the old trees.
The rain plan is simple, and that is one of the best things about the estate: dinner is already in the Orangerie, so if it rains, the only thing that moves is the ceremony.
table and music
The table, the wine and the night
The kitchen is Class Eventi, the estate's exclusive caterer, who also provide the furniture, the lighting and the climate control of the Orangerie. Their menus include a cocktail hour, three courses at the table, a dessert buffet, wine, coffee and water, and they adapt them to your tastes.
Sound and decorative lighting come from a short list of companies that know the estate. Your photographer, florist, musicians and beauty team are your choice.
The night has house rules. Outdoor music ends at 10 pm, with a softer volume after 8. Drums and percussion are not allowed anywhere, and nobody dances on the lawns. Candles go in glass lanterns, and fireworks are possible only from a boat on the lake, with permits. Rice and confetti are not allowed.
budget
What your budget looks like
Budget level: €60,000 to €150,000
●●○ €81,000 to €135,000 for a full wedding day at Monastero Pax, from thirty guests to a hundred and fifty.
Your wedding
30 guests
50 guests
100 guests
Monday to Thursday
from €81,000
from €89,000
from €113,000
Friday to Sunday
from €84,000
from €92,000
from €116,000
Because the estate is booked by the day rather than by the room, Monastero Pax is one of the better-value ways to hold a large wedding on this stretch of the lake.
What the number covers
Planning, design and coordination from the first call to the last transfer, with two coordinators on the wedding day
The estate from 3 pm to midnight
Dinner with wine, the open bar and the wedding cake
Symbolic ceremony by the water
Photographer, film, flowers and decor, hair and makeup, DJ and live music, lighting
Transfers and every Italian tax and fee, stated from the start
What it does not cover
Flights, hotels, what you wear, the rings, the civil ceremony at the town hall, and the extras that are genuinely optional, such as fireworks from a boat.
Every wedding is costed individually. You get a line-by-line estimate for your date after the first call.
honest limits
What we would not do here
The right estate is the one whose limits you know before you sign. These are ours for Monastero Pax.
01
We would not plan a wedding here for grandparents who struggle with stairs without a route designed around them.
The garden is a series of terraces joined by steps and ramps, with low walls.
02
We would not promise a legal ceremony on the lawn.
The civil ceremony is at a town hall.
03
We would not plan dinner on the lawn by the lake.
It is reserved for ceremonies and aperitivo. Dinner belongs in the Orangerie.
04
We would not book a band with a drummer.
Percussion is not allowed anywhere on the estate.
05
We would not use up your site visits casually.
The owners allow three visits in total, including any before you sign, so we plan each one.
06
We would not choose this estate for a couple who want everyone sleeping under one roof.
There are no rooms, and that is the trade for having the lake shore to yourselves.
our part
What we carry
The estate gives you the gardens, the Orangerie and the house rules. Everything that turns them into your wedding sits outside that, and it sits in Italian.
The paperwork. Nulla Osta, translations, apostilles, the town hall and the interpreter.
The caterer. Class Eventi's menu, chosen with you, and every line of their quote checked.
The production plan. The estate asks for a full event plan and run sheet before the final payment. We write it.
The boats and shuttles. Guests in from their hotels by water or road, and home again at midnight.
The money. One budget with every Italian tax and fee in it from the start, and one payment schedule.
The day itself. Two coordinators, so you and your parents are guests at your own wedding.
We take a limited number of weddings each season. That is not a sales line, it is a small team and a calendar.
From €81,000 for thirty guests from Monday to Thursday, and from €113,000 for a hundred guests, including the estate, the food, every supplier, Italian taxes and our work.
Where is it?
In Lenno, on the western shore of Lake Como, between Villa del Balbianello and Villa Balbiano.
How many guests can it hold?
Up to 180 in the Orangerie.
Can our guests stay at the estate?
No. It is a private home with no guest rooms. Your guests stay in hotels on the lake, and we organise boats and shuttles.
Can we get legally married at Monastero Pax?
The estate cannot host a civil ceremony. Your ceremony here is symbolic, and we arrange the civil ceremony at a town hall on the lake.
Can the bride get ready at the estate?
Yes. The main house is available for getting ready.
What happens if it rains?
Dinner is already in the Orangerie, so only the ceremony moves inside.
How late can the party go?
Outdoor music ends at 10 pm, the Orangerie runs until midnight, and the lower rooms until about 1:45 am. Later hours are possible at an extra cost.
Can guests arrive by boat?
Yes. Boats dock at the public pier in Campo, a short walk from the estate.
Can we have photos at Villa del Balbianello?
It is a few minutes away, and a portrait session there can be arranged separately with its own permit.
Can we choose our own caterer?
No. Class Eventi is the estate's exclusive caterer. Your photographer, florist and musicians are your choice.
Why not just book the estate ourselves?
You can. The estate gives you the gardens and the Orangerie. The paperwork, the event plan the owners require, the boats and hotels, the budget and the day itself are the rest of the wedding, and they happen in Italian.
first step
Let's see whether it is yours
Marina, who founded WOWITALY, answers every inquiry herself. The first video call is with Katerina, it costs nothing, and it is not a sales call.
Tell us the dates you are holding, how many people you want around you and whether you see your guests arriving by boat. That tells us a great deal about your wedding.
We will check the estate's calendar for your dates and set up a call. On it you get our honest read on whether Monastero Pax is the right place for your wedding, real numbers for your date, and, if it is not the right one, the two or three that are.
A cardinal's villa on the western shore of Lake Como, restored by Jacques Garcia and made famous by House of Gucci. Three ways to marry here, and the real numbers for each.
Prices updated October 2026 · by Katerina
