An 18th-century villa above Lake Como with 24 rooms spread across the Villa, the Palazz and a house on the water, and terraced gardens down to the shore.
Passalacqua feels less like a hotel than a house party with very good staff. There are only 24 rooms, split between three buildings, so choosing where to sleep is the main decision: the Villa for frescoes and lake views, the Palazz behind it for something warmer and more private, or the four rooms of the Casa al Lago right by the water.
The gardens run down the hillside in terraces, with a pool framed by old climbing roses, a clay tennis court, a bocce court beside the vegetable garden and a gym in a former greenhouse facing the olive grove. A daily programme of activities is included in every stay, from pasta-making and gelato classes to open-air cinema, and the boat trips on the hotel's Riva launches are the thing guests talk about afterwards.
This is a place for doing very little, slowly. Milan is about an hour away for a day of shopping or opera, but guests who want nightlife on the doorstep or a big resort with several restaurants may find it too quiet. We tend to suggest it for anniversaries and for couples who like their hotels small and personal.
Eight rooms behind the main villa, around 37 to 50 square metres, with antiques and a more secluded, country-house feel.
Twelve rooms in the main building, from doubles of around 40 square metres to lake-view rooms, with the frescoed interiors the house is known for.
Junior Suites of around 70 to 85 square metres and the named Agnese, Norma and Bellini suites, the largest at about 250 square metres.
Four rooms and suites in the garden close to the water, with front-row lake views; the house can also be taken for exclusive use.
Chef Viviana Varese runs a kitchen built on the idea of eating in an Italian friend's villa. Breakfast is a large buffet laid out in the kitchen with eggs cooked to order; lunch can be on the terrace, in the bar, at the La DoubleJ pool bar in the former Winter Garden or as a picnic hamper on a boat. Dinner is classic seasonal Italian cooking on the candlelit terrace or in the frescoed Sala Ovale.
The spa sits under the vaulted ground floor of the Palazz, using the Tuscan Seed to Skin range for massages and facials. Below the gardens, an 18th-century tunnel now holds a sauna, steam bath and heated indoor pool, and there is yoga among the magnolias.
Ask us about the hotel's current policy for children; we confirm the details with the hotel when we book.
| Rooms | 24, across the Villa, the Palazz and the Casa al Lago |
|---|---|
| Setting | Terraced 18th-century gardens above the lake at Moltrasio |
| Included | Seasonal daily programme of activities |
| Boats | Vintage and modern launches, including Riva boats, for lake excursions |
| Pools | Outdoor garden pool and a heated indoor pool in the spa |
| Sport | Clay tennis court, bocce, gym |
| Milan | About an hour away |
Moltrasio, Lake Como, Italy
A few of the things we plan for guests in Italy.
The coast road is slow in summer, so see the coast from a boat. A private day takes in the Li Galli islands, the narrow inlet at Furore and a swim stop below Praiano, with lunch at a beach restaurant reachable only by sea. Go on a weekday in late May, June or September, when the water is warm and the ferries are less full.
South of Siena, the Val d'Orcia is the Tuscany of cypress avenues and rolling wheat fields. Base yourself in a farmhouse near Pienza, buy pecorino in the village, and spend a day tasting Brunello in Montalcino and Vino Nobile in Montepulciano with a driver. September and October bring the grape harvest and a softer, lower light.
Venice changes completely once the day visitors leave. Stay at least two nights so you can walk across Piazza San Marco at seven in the morning and spend evenings in the bacari of Cannaregio eating cicchetti. November to March is cold and misty but the city is at its calmest.
Three nights in Rome between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, with a private guide for the Vatican and the Forum, then the fast train south and five nights on the cliff outside Positano with a lift down to the sea.
Four nights on an organic farm estate in southern Tuscany, with a spa that uses its own herbs, then three inside the walls of an Umbrian castle with a candlelit bathhouse in the old wine cellars. Siena and Montalcino in between.
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check availability, suggest the right room and send a price.
