Villa Pizzo, Architectural ensemble in Cernobbio, Italy.

Villa Pizzo, also called Villa Volpi-Bassani, stands on the promontory that closes the Gulf of Cernobbio to the north. The villa was built in 1532 and remodelled in the 19th century to designs by Simone Cantoni; its facade is painted old rose with straw-yellow trim. A cypress avenue leads through the gardens, and a formal garden in front of the villa holds 17th-century statues.

The villa was built in 1532 for Giovanni Battista Speciano, captain of justice in Milan, and first called Speciana. The Mugiasca family, who had owned the estate since 1435, returned in 1630 fleeing the plague and laid out the terraces still seen in the garden. In 1842 Bishop Giovanni Battista Mugiasca donated the complex to Como's Sant'Anna hospital; it was later bought at auction by Viceroy Ranieri of Austria.

The name Pizzo comes from the Comasco dialect word pizz, meaning "point", for the rocky promontory above Lake Como. Elise Musard, widow of conductor Alfred Musard, repainted the facade in old rose with straw-yellow trim, still used today, and added oriental-style ornaments to chimneys and gutters. She also had small bells installed on the roof that ring in the wind.

The villa can be reached via state highway 340 Via Regina from Como or by boat from the lake. Access to the grounds is via well-maintained paths that allow comfortable exploration of the property.

Inside the villa stands a stone memorial to Alessandro Volta, who was a repeated guest here; the park also holds the Volpi-Bassani mausoleum, built like a Romanesque baptistery by the designer Beltrami and the architect Rusconi.