Lake Como

Last week I spent two nights each in the oldest hotel on the lake, and the newest! I started at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, which I’d been to once before, but just in a lurker sort of way—we took some pictures, clocked it as a place we thought seemed very cool, and left. Recently, when Matt was putting together his Negroni book, a photo taken at the Serbelloni made it onto the Forward page. So when I was invited by them to come stay, I was thrilled, to say the least. If you’re reading this, you surely know how much I love an old-school grand hotel–and how much I mourn when they get too modernized in an attempt to create a better customer experience. The Serbelloni recently had some renovations, but not too many. Breakfast is served in the Grand Salone, perhaps the most ornate dining room I’ve been in, and filled with gorgeous Thonet dining chairs. Hallways are wide, rooms are actually soundproofed, the beds have silk cushions on them (made in Como), which are essentially leg and feet duvets…but most importantly, the property is directly on the lake–meaning your pool view is completely unobstructed. The hotel is celebrating its 150th birthday next year, along with the Villa d’Este, and it’s been in the same family for four generations. 

Some Bellagio favorites: It’s a tough town for food. I’m not one for fancy meals in Italy, so we opted for dinner at La Goletta at the Serbelloni (they do have a Michelin-starred restaurant called Mistral, if that is up your street!) and had a delicious perch risotto (a Lake Como classic) and seafood pasta. We walked by Dispensa 63, which had a farm-to-table-ish vibe, but it was fully booked for dinner and I discovered it too late to work into our schedule for lunch. If we’d been there longer, I would have gone to the Grand Hotel Tremezzo just across the lake for drinks/dinner. Ditto for La Punta, which has a great view over the harbor, and is supposed to be good as long as you stick to the fish and pasta. As for shopping, I love the store Rafaella Galetti–she has a great selection of Aspesi, and across the way she has a shop that carries mostly Massimo Alba, a perfect spot to pick up a linen polo. While the town was packed with Americans–literally every voice I heard on the street, and many of them drinking Aperol spritzes in to-go cups–I still loved it. Many of the stores that seem to be tourist traps actually have been in the same families for generations, and they have the best signage! On the main drag, I picked up several long silk scarves–35 euros apiece–made in Como. Pescallo is a sleepy, charming little village just next to Bellagio and I bet it will be the prettiest 15 minute walk you’ve ever taken. It also has a little hotel/restaurant called La Pergola, which is a true gem of a find with no room more than 200 euros. (You’re welcome!)

From Bellagio, we headed to Moltrasio for the opening of Passalacqua, the latest project of Valentina de Santis, who with her family owns and runs the Grand Hotel Tremezzo and manages the Villa Sola Cabiati. While our friend (and Yolo contributor) Maria Shollenbarger had written about the Passalacqua in a feature for the FT’s “How to Spend It” Travel Issue, I hadn’t seen the article, and went into it blind. And I’m so glad I did: there is something about having no idea what you’re going into, and then literally having your breath taken away, that is so rare. Here is just a little taste of it: you arrive at the 18th-century villa—a tiered property going all the way down to the lake with gardens at every level—and are greeted with a beautiful bouquet, which then goes into a vase waiting in your room. It really doesn’t feel like a hotel per se—with just 24 rooms, there’s no huge dining room or lobby, more like someone’s grand home that you get to play house in. The rooms are, above all, warm and comfortable—yes, they are beautiful and filled with antiques and handcrafted pieces that Valentina’s family sourced from around Italy, but more than anything, they feel cozy and make you feel good inside. Many hotels that I love make me feel like I don’t belong—not this one. 

Every single detail from Valentina is like a love note, and her generous spirit is so palpable: the notepad next to the bed inside a beautiful mustard-leather tasseled notebook made in Orvieto, the staff in brilliant uniforms designed by Giuliva Heritage, the Dyson hair products that are discreetly hidden in leather boxes in the bathroom. Plus the delicious nuts and dried fruit snacks, which are actually what you want to eat late afternoon, not some crappy Pringles (although I do love me some crappy Pringles, too). Coffee served in the room comes in the most beautiful silver pot. Beautiful pool area designed by La DoubleJ. I can go on and on, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise—it is a dream of a place to visit, and I hope you make it there someday.