The Giardino della Velarca in Ossuccio on Lake Como has been restored and reopened to the public, completing the conservation of Velarca, the remarkable houseboat designed by the Milanese architectural firm BBPR in 1959 and reopened by FAI in 2024.
Following just over six months of work, the lakeside garden has been transformed into a welcoming green space, nestled among traditional stone terraces and olive trees. Donated to FAI by Aldo and Maria Luisa Norsa in 2011, Velarca underwent a long and meticulous restoration before opening to visitors last year. The newly restored garden now fulfills the architects’ original vision for the site.
Covering approximately 3,500 square feet (325 square meters), the garden occupies a narrow strip of land between the steep hillside dominated by the Torre del Barbarossa—also an FAI Property—and the shores of Lake Como, overlooking Isola Comacina and Villa del Balbianello, another FAI Property. This picturesque stretch of shoreline, known locally as the zocca de l’oli (“the oil cove”), is celebrated for its calm waters and mild climate, ideal for growing olive trees.
The Norsa family originally purchased the land intending to build a house, but because the site was too narrow and unsuitable for construction, they turned to their friends at BBPR with an unconventional idea: creating a houseboat permanently moored along the shore. The surrounding garden was conceived as an integral part of the project—a place for cultivating vegetables and olive trees, enjoying flowers, gathering with friends, and simply spending time outdoors.
As architect Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso later recalled:
“We devoted special attention to the steep shoreline, designing a rustic garden with stone retaining walls, flowers, vegetables, climbing plants, olive trees, and facilities for impromptu outdoor meals.”
Although this part of the project was never realized, the original plans preserved in the archive have now inspired the restoration. In addition to its renewed landscape, the garden now includes visitor amenities, including a shaded gathering area overlooking the houseboat and the lake, a welcome point, and accessible restrooms. Carefully redesigned by FAI based on BBPR’s original drawings, the project completes the architectural concept of Velarca while remaining faithful to its spirit.
Traditional stone terraces create a series of level garden spaces planted with olive trees, strawberry trees, pomegranates, and other species typical of the Lake Como landscape. Existing olive and cypress trees have been carefully preserved, while stone pathways connect the different areas of the garden.
A new wooden pergola with a woven reed roof—also envisioned in the original design—provides shade and shelter while housing the new visitor facilities. Echoing the clean lines of the houseboat, the structure features oak beams with BBPR’s distinctive detailing and has been carefully engineered to ensure natural ventilation. Near the entrance, a small welcome pavilion overlooks the lake, with every architectural detail—from the mahogany wood cladding to the blue flooring—designed to harmonize with Velarca itself.
The restored garden enriches the visitor experience by completing one of the most original masterpieces of twentieth-century architecture, now fully accessible to the public. As BBPR wrote in 1962:
“What matters here is not simply living on a boat, but the relationship created between the moored boat, the dock, the water, and the garden. Land, water, boats, and landscape become one continuous environment, where one moves naturally from one element to another. Being ‘at anchor’ becomes a complete way of inhabiting the place.”
The restoration was made possible through the collaboration of public institutions, private donors, companies, and individual supporters. FAI extends its thanks to the Municipality of Tremezzina for its patronage, the Autorità di Bacino del Lario e dei Laghi Minori, Regione Lombardia, Nora McNeely Hurley / Manitou Fund, Friends of FAI, and FIMESA for their generous support.
