Villa D'Este, an icon of style and Italian hospitality

When the gate opens and you walk down the tree-lined avenue you sense it: you are entering another world. It is not a figure of speech. The feeling at Villa d'Este is that nothing has ever changed even though everything is perfectly present. The villa in Cernobbio, right in the centre and in the front row on the shore of Lake Como, is a symbol of Italian hospitality and good taste through the ages. It has never had a moment of decline, maintaining intact its aura of perfection with its spacious halls with high ceilings, the stuccoes and sculptures from the school of Canova, the two grand staircases leading to the rooms, the large windows framing the lake in views that inspire contemplation. Certainly waking up in the morning with the sparkling of the water in front of you and the chirping of the birds is magic, as is having breakfast on the veranda looking out over the garden, one of the most scenic in Italy with its fountain rising to its highest and most panoramic point in front of a statue of Hercules and Lica.

 But it is not essential to stay to enjoy such beauty. Just reserve a table at the edge of the magnificent pool floating in the lake, order a Negroni as an aperitif or dine al fresco, served by impeccable but friendly waiters. The park, a national monument since 1913 and part of the Grandi Giardini Italiani circuit, can also be visited (by reservation only) or for some special events (by invitation only), such as the Concorso d'Eleganza that has been gathering the rarest classic cars there for almost a century (this year 23-25 May 2025) and concerts featuring musicians from the world's most important theatres, from La Scala in Milan to the Metropolitan in New York: against the backdrop of the magnificent 16th century mosaic nymphaeum, maestro Zubin Mehta conducted one of his last concerts in Italy from memory, while this year it is the turn of the planetary tenor Andrea Bocelli (20 August 2025).

There is also a winter season. From 2022, Villa d'Este will open for the Christmas holidays. The atmosphere alternates between Austro-Hungarian coffee, all red and gold, and Alpine worldliness in the greenhouse. On one side is the snack with hot chocolate, whipped cream and a huge counter of sweets; on the other, cocktails, cheese and cold cuts. It is an interlude of pure magic. Everyone wanders in amazement amidst shining lianas, torchons of leaves and thousands of small lights and fir trees of all sizes set up in an ever-changing way by Vincenzo D'Ascanio, a set designer of dreams for adults and children. But this place full of life and energy is not crystallised in time, nor does it live on nostalgia. On the contrary, it is part of a dynamic group headed by the Fontana family, with many projects and several hotels: the five-star luxury Villa Massa in Florence and Hotel Miralago in Cernobbio (now under renovation), and the four-star Palace Hotel and Barchetta Excelsior in Como. The impetus has been given to Davide Bertilaccio, ceo and general manager of the Villa d'Este Group, who has not only updated the hospitality line, but also overseen some important acquisitions in Cernobbio, such as Harry's Bar, another iconic venue on Lake Como, and Villa Belinzaghi, which will reopen at the end of 2026 with its 2500 square metres of salons and 8000 square metres of gardens for weddings and sumptuous events.