Fodor's Expert Review Villa Bernasconi

Art Nouveau details, such as intricately-carved floral balconies and tile work, are enough to make you get out of the car for a closer look at this villa on the main road from Como to Cernobbio. The turreted two-story former home of textile tycoon Davide Bernasconi was built on the grounds of his company's silk mills at the turn of the century and is now an interactive museum. Among the rooms with original wood-inlay ceilings, decorative stained glass, and marble mosaic floors, are audio installations that recount the history of Bernasconi's empire and the Lake Como area's silk industry. Temporary exhibits highlight contemporary Italian artists and fashion design.