Lake Como has grandezza - stately villas and picture-book towns characterize the shore with elegant wooden boats gliding over the water. Also an attraction is the most famous local resident: George Clooney. However, he had his property protected with screens. One of the most impressive villas is the Villa Pliniana which was built in a magical place, today one of the oldest on the lake. The Villa was named after the two Pliny born in Como, who had also sensed the magical charm of the place around 1400 years earlier. 17 bedrooms, helipad, butler service and two ballrooms are included in the price. In addition, there is the pool table, at which Napoleon is said to have played, and the piano, on which the still young Gioachino Rossini composed parts of his opera Tancredi. It is always rented exclusively to one customer, who can then feel like a Lombard duke of yesteryear in today's furniture.
Villa Pliniana
The Villa Pliniana is the 500-year-old sister of the ultra-modern Design Hotel pearl "Il Sereno" in the same place. Sereno owner, the 52-year-old private hotelier opened "Il Sereno" six years ago. Built with local materials and furnished with furniture and fabrics from the leading local craftsmen and producers. Villa Pliniana recently underwent a full restoration and has been updated to the highest contemporary standards while maintaining the charm and historical details of the original design.
Patricia Urquiola, the designer of the sister property il Sereno, has re-designed select interiors at Villa Pliniana. In the case of "Il Sereno",Luxury furniture brands such as Molteni, B&B Italia and Cassina, all of which are at home within a maximum radius of 60 kilometers. The former boathouse is the place for Raffaele Lenzi's cuisine "Il Sereno al Lago", which has been crowned with a Michelin star.
Villa d'Este
Villa d’Este is considered one of the most beautiful works of architectural art of the sixteenth century. Designed by Pellegrino Pellegrini known as "Il Tibaldi", a famous architect of the time, the villa is surrounded by a 10-hectare park with centenary plants where you can admire the Nymphaeum of Pellegrino Pellegrini, the Fountain of Hercules and the Temple of Telemachus. In its halls you can admire fascinating works of art, including some from the French school, others from the Canova school. The 152 rooms of Villa d'Este are divided between the Cardinal Building (125 rooms) and the Queen's Pavilion (27 rooms). Each with its own style and colors, always in the name of comfort, they are elegantly furnished with period furniture, paintings and prints, silks, precious velvets and luxurious marble bathrooms.
Veranda, Grill, Sundeck Bar, Bar Canova, Bar Terrazza and the d'Este Club: the restaurants and bars at Villa D'Este offer unique moments in refined environments and with a perfect cuisine for every moment of the day at the highest standard. Specialities such as for firt course the Gnocchi di Broccolo, Latte di Bufala e Acciughe del Cantabrico (Gnocchi made with broccoli, buffalo milk and Cantabrian anchovies) or for main Astice "Porchettato, Funghi Porcini, Cicoria amara e burro acido al timo (Lobster porchetta, porcini mushrooms, bitter chicory and thyme flavored sour butter) are just a couple of examples of the fabulous menu on offer.
The Laglio estate of George Clooney, the most prominent part-time resident of the lake, is more modest. Skipper Giorgio also knows how the Hollywood star discovered the lake: "Clooney once had a motorcycle breakdown here, simply rang the bell, got along very well with the owner - Mr. Heinz, the ketchup producer - and later gave him Villa Oleandra Bought it.” In the meantime, two guest houses have been added and a mobile privacy screen system to make working life as difficult as possible for the paparazzi lurking on the lake.
Villa Roccabruna
In addition to the Villa Pliniana and the "Il Sereno", the village of Torno, which has 1150 inhabitants, also has the castle-like Villa Taverna from the 18th century and, on the outskirts of the village, the Villa Roccabruna from the early 20th century run by Mandarin Oriental. And that's just the big waterfront villas.Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como is a sanctuary of calm, nestled on the sunny forest shores of Lake Como. 19th Century Villa Roccabruna is at the heart of the resort and skillfully renovated to create a sense of modern Italian elegance with a subtle oriental charm.
Idyllic lake views can be enjoyed from the resort‘s restaurants, which include the gourmet restaurant L˜ARIA, CO.MO Bar & Bistrot with specialities such as Fusilli, clams, bottarga, Sicilian mollicata or Risotto black truffle, Loch Duart or Spaghetti, red fish, roasted bell pepper, and Roman courgette. A special menu if offered at the Pool Bar by the resort’s floating pool on the lake. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como is the largest on the lake, with two private spa suites, two treatment rooms, a beauty studio, a next-generation Technogym fitness centre and a holistic heat and water experience area.
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