The experience was disturbing, as the two guards were refusing to let us in, especially the blond guard with glasses, who showed clear anger issues (he even turned away visitors who had come from Australia after reading on the official website that garden access was free without booking, yet he let in two young girls with tickets for the day after and didn’t let in others with the same tickets). I couldn’t believe there was no alternative way to enter, and I was right. After sitting on the cement floor for over 40 minutes, I saw an older Italian couple enter using FAI membership cards they had purchased one hour earlier. Despite my repeated questions, the guards never mentioned this option. One guard even insisted the membership could not be used if acquired on the same day, until I pointed out the date and time on the couple’s newly issued membership card.
You can purchase FAI membership online, which grants access not only to Villa del Balbianello, but also to Villa Necchi and various villas and gardens from Milan to Varenna. If you arrive without tickets, especially since their official website states that you can enter the gardens without tickets or booking specific date and time, and they deny entry due to capacity, you can still access the property by obtaining FAI membership on the spot (€20 if you are under 30, €30 otherwise, valid for one year).
Confirm with the staff that you will be admitted with the membership. If they refuse, you will know they are not being truthful, as they admitted others, including Italians, immediately after we shared this information with everyone behind us in the queue. The guard later claimed he “didn’t know,” yet I heard him tell the couple ahead of me, “You were smart to get it now,” unaware that I understood Italian. His increasingly hostile attitude toward me, simply for checking the website and pointing out inconsistencies, was unacceptable and clearly an abuse of his role.
The villa and gardens were beautiful, but this experience overshadowed everything.
For transportation, take a car or the boat from Como, it costs €12 and is highly recommended. And don’t let anyone ruin your day!