Villa Cagni Troubetzkoy, dream residence and delights on Lake Como
The price of a weekly stay in the dream mansion, built by a Russian prince in the mid-1800s and exceptionally opened to our newspaper, is over 250,000 euro per week
by Paola Dezza and Stefano Biolchini
3' min read
Key points
3' min read
A sharp, soaring turret is reflected in the lake, perched, almost gliding, on a small promontory that from Blevio looks precipitously over Villa d'Este, with a rounded panorama reaching as far as Como and the peaks of Monte Rosa. Overlooked by a lush garden of palm trees, rose gardens and century-old cedars, it smells of dreams and Nordic fairy tales, surrounded as it is by the gabled roofs of the surrounding villa. Shining rays of sunlight create dreamlike shadows on its ochre-coloured walls, decorated with graffiti, while a mysterious fountain lies shell-like below a nymphaeum tinged with blue in swirls. Were it not true, this place of enchantment and delight that is Villa Cagni Troubetzkoy, would seem a fantastic whim designed by myth.
Pascal Cagni
This is how the eclectic and whimsical Prince Aleksander Vasily Troubetzkoy wanted and conceived it in the mid-1800s; This is how the current owner Pascal Cagni restored it to its former glory and beauty, after decades of neglect and neglect. He and his family have embellished it with the most sought-after comforts, with the foresight, almost a unicum, that the most coveted luxury should not affect its immeasurable romantic charm, in keeping with the new destination that attracts the most exclusive and demanding tourists.
Set into the rock, a spa with swimming pool and breathtaking views of the lake; and a super-equipped gym. Then there is the private chapel, repurposed as a modern study-library, with echoes of the boiserie of the most emblazoned of all, that of Montefeltro's Urbino: it is the heart of this lakeside buen retiro! And again, at the far end of the garden, an intimate depandance with discreet Parisian charm, perfectly in keeping with the owners' nationality.
Purchased by Pascal Cagni, formerly ceo of Apple in Europe and entrepreneur, it was recovered within a decade and restored to its former glory. Today it is part of a circuit of four residences, three on the lake and one in the South of France, which are part of theC4 Collection of monsieur Cagni, France's ambassador for foreign investment.
Soon the extra-hotel collection will be enriched with a castle in the Loire valley and a hotel designed along the lines of Brutalist art.
The collection was born as a return to the origins, from Gallio, towards San Siro on the shore of the lake leading to Menaggio, where Pascal's father was born and where he bought the first of the residences now in his portfolio.
