Naboo in Italy

The Villa del Balbianello

If you are a follower of 'Star Wars' series and would like to see how Naboo looks then you definitely should visit Italy. There is a very beautiful Villa del Balbianello in Lenno which overlooks Lake Como. The villa was shown in the episode II 'Attack of Clones' (2002) as Varykino, also known as the Lake Retreat, where Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker hid while Obi-Wan Kenobi tracked down those responsible for attempting to assassinate Amidala and where the clandestine marriage of Skywalker and Amidala took place.

When I saw the episode I noticed that the name "Varykino" was a name from Boris Pasternak's novel "Doctor Zhivago". It is a place where doctor Yuri Zhivago and Lara are hiding from arrest. I remembered the movie Dr Zhivago (1965) with Omar Sharif and Geraldine Chaplin not only because of Varykino, but also because of Alec Guinness. He was Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars and Yevraf in Dr Zhivago.

Varykino (Dr. Zhivago)

It has been suggested that Anakin (Darth Vader) was modeled off of the Pavel Strelnikov character in Dr Zhivago - a young idealist who later becomes a merciless military leader in the Galactic Empire (Soviet Government). The destruction of Alderaan in A New Hope presumably mirroring Strelnikov's destruction of a Siberian village suspected of being loyal to the White Army in Zhivago. Interestingly, both characters also "die" - Anakin in the lava pit in Revenge of the Sith, and Strelnikov during World War I in Zhivago - before being "reborn" as a more evil character.

Varykino (Star Wars)

The villa was featured not only in Star Wars, but in 'Casino Royale' in 2009.

All the areas used in the films are accessible to the public.You can take a train from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino and then take a boat to Lenno via Bellagio and Tremezzo.

You can walk to the Villa from Lenno, I’d suggest getting a boat either there or back as you get a wonderful view from the water as the boat passes alongside the promontory. The Villa and the surrounding grounds are beautiful and the view across the lake is absolutely breathtaking. The atmosphere is very peaceful and relaxed and you are able to explore the grounds and the building at your own leisure.

You can visit a balcony, where the two heroes kiss for the first time although Padmé later pulls away as their love is forbidden. In the final scene, when Anakin and Padmé get married in secret, they return to the balcony.

I like this place and strongly recommend it for visiting.