With spectacular terraced gardens overlooking Lake Como, artisan-crafted rooms and suites, along with private hideaways, this stunning property prides itself on providing guests with upscale seclusion.

Occupying a prime location with glorious views over Lake Como, Hotel Passalacqua sits on land once owned by Pope Innocent XI. Housed in an 18th century villa, the property has a rich history. Often frequented by Vincenzo Bellini, it has played host to luminaries from the world of music, art, literature, and politics, with guests including Napoleon Bonaparte and Winston Churchill.

Recently restored by one of Italy’s most celebrated hotelier families, Paolo, Antonella, and Valentina De Santis, the hotel is the sister property to Lake Como’s Grand Hotel Tremezzo. Their painstaking restoration has seen the villa recapture the spirit of the past, along with the seductive charm of vivere Italiano. No expense has been spared in creating and updating this classic retreat for the 21st century. Employing the best Italian artisans, frescoes have been painstakingly restored; furniture has been hand chosen and sheets of marble sourced from caves in Verona.

The 24 rooms and suites are spread across the main villa, the Palazz, the ancient stables and Casa al Lago, which is located right on the shores of the lake. There are eight rooms in the Palazz and twelve rooms and suites in the villa, including the largest suite on Lake Como, featuring Bellini’s former music room. The four rooms and suites in Casa al Lago have private gardens and can be booked for exclusive use, making them ideal for families and larger groups of friends. The décor is sumptuous, with rich velvets, Venetian silk lampshades, marble bathrooms, and hardwood floors.

Guests enjoy a ‘home away from home,’ approach to dining and can enjoy Italian home-cooked dishes when and wherever they choose. Whether that’s a candlelit dinner in the rose garden, a bowl of pasta on the terrace or a picnic by the lake, the choice is yours. The whole focus of a stay here is designed to evoke the lost art of villeggiatura – a stay in a villa where you cast off the stresses of everyday life and immerse yourself in natural beauty and simple pleasures. The terraced gardens are a delight, sprinkled with fountains and home to centuries-old trees. Along with private hideaways, guests can enjoy a stroll through a fragrant and romantic rose garden, aromatic vegetable garden and ancient orchard. For more active pursuits, there is a swimming pool, lakeside tennis court and private dock with vintage boats, for guests to sail the lake in style. To keep in shape, there is an open-air gym set in an olive grove, spa treatments in the fruit garden, sunrise yoga and a cinema under the stars.