Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni - Bellagio Lake Como

A few years ago, the Lovely Sharon and visited Italy. We had a wonderful holiday together including a stay at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in the town of Bellagio on Lake Como.  I have stayed in many wonderful hotels over the years but the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni is one of my favorites. Our Salt Lake friends Bill and Martha told us about the hotel.  The Lovely Sharon and I had been in Venice and then decided to visit Lake Como and Bellagio. As we drove the winding narrow road along Lake Como to Bellagio, the Lovely Sharon talked about the hotel and suggested just take a look at it inasmuch as we had no reservation.   I took her statements as code meaning "please get us a room for the night".  So we arrived at the hotel with no reservation. She went to the ladies room and I went to the hotel desk.  I asked if a room was available, I was told there was in fact an available room.  I asked the cost and was told what the cost was.  When I picked myself up after collapsing from the room cost information, I told the desk clerk I would take the room.  We checked in  and were taken to our room.  It was fantastic as was the entire hotel and its grounds.

 The following text is from the Hotel's website:

For the past 100 years or more, the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni has been one of the most well-known and prestigious hotels in the world. Set in the splendid surroundings of Lake Como, where the blue waters meet the green mountains which soar above the lake, the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni enjoys a breathtaking position on the promontory which juts halfway out into the lake, separating the two branches. The luxurious vegetation of its Italian-style gardens, abounding in Mediterranean and subtropical plants, flourishes in the pleasant microclimate around the lake: sunshine almost all year round, accompanied by mild temperatures in every season.

Owing to its delightful setting, Bellagio, an oasis of peace on the shores of the lake, has been a holiday destination for centuries and it was here that, in around 1850, construction work started on a luxurious holiday villa on the banks of the lake for an aristocratic family from Milan.

In 1872 the villa, which is in pure neo-classical style, was sold and since then it has formed the central nucleus of the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni which was opened in 1873. Its interior reflects the good taste loved by the wealthy nobility of the time: its walls and ceilings are adorned with frescoes and paintings of mythological scenes, gilded frames, festoons, temples, putti, flamingos, and Pompeian reds. The coffer ceilings are often frescoed with floral patterns in grey and pink tones. The guests are fascinated by the period wall coverings in French style, the antique Persian carpets, the crystal chandeliers from Murano, the Imperial furniture, and the neo-classical and Art Nouveau style; not to mention the marble staircases, the stucco work columns, and the splendid trompe l'oeil.

Here are a few photos I took of the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni and views from the hotel:

Here are some photos from the Hotel's website.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, you should do it.  We had such a wonderful, romantic two days in Bellagio and were reluctant to check out of the hotel.

Ciao