VILLA D’ESTE AT LAKE COMO;
FIVE STAR ESCAPE FROM MILAAN
In June ’17 I visited my favorite city Milan again. Of course to go to several showrooms of Italian topdesign labels,
but also to do some sightseeing and enjoy the beautiful landscape of Italy as well.
I still remember a famous Dutch person gave a few suggestions on hotspots in Italy in a luxury lifestyle magazine.
And one of them was Villa d’Este at lake Como. Co-incidentally that is very nearby Milan….
Luxury hotel
Villa d’Este, originally named as Villa del Garrovo, is a classic renaissance home in the Italian village Cernobbio. Located directly at the stunning lake Como, within only fifty minutes driving from design city Milan and also very nearby the Swiss border.
This villa was built in 1568 as a holiday home for the cardinal of Como, but since 1873 the impressive building is used as a luxury five star hotel, surrounded by a gorgeous 25-hectare garden. According to Travel & Leisure and Forbs Traveler, Villa d’Este is one of the best hotels in the world. And also the perfect place for chique (gala) parties.
Luxury cars
Since 1929 the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este takes place at this location. It is an exhibition for extraordinary classic cars. Visitors come over to admire more than fifty cars in various categories, built between 1920 and 1970.
Car manufacturers love to present their upcoming models. Once, an Aston Martin One-77, which still was in very good condition, was revealed to the press. While I was walking around in the hotel parc, on my stylish golden havaianas, I saw a few more contemporary cars, like Porsches, Maserati’s, Ferrari’s en Bentley’s.
Luxury interior
Throughout the years Villa d’Este was subjected to many renovations, but it never conceded to its old-fashioned charm. Nowadays the hotel has 152 rooms, all furnished with the most elegant equipment, antiques, paintings, delicate fabrics like silk, broché and velvet and marble bathrooms.
In the hotel parc, there are four lovey private villas: Villa Malakoff, Villa Cima, Villa Garrovo and the so called Mosaic House. Guests can make use of all the facilities and provisions of Villa d’Este, whilst enjoying the privacy and the exclusiveness of a private villa.
Luxury exterior
The parc is 25-hectare wide, so I could only capture a small part of it. I chose to make pictures of the Renaissance part of the parc.
The most important points of interest is the stunning wall with 16-century mosaics, which gently fluid into a long ‘tunnel’ of cypress trees. And besides shrubs and hedges of bamboo, azalea, camelia, oleander and hortensia, you will also find some sweet smelling roses and jasmin.
Villa d’Este actually is the more stylish, Italian version of the Dutch palace Het Loo and the French Versailles together, and therefor absolutely worth the visit. Maybe like I did, when you already planned a city trip to Milan and a boat tour on lake Como. Splendido. Consigliato!
