Lake Como, Italy
Take in the ultimate in grande dame luxury and golf at Italy’s Lake Como.
Even if James Bond hadn’t actually filmed in Lake Como [Casino Royale], your thoughts would still turn to the glitz of the fictional hero’s world the moment you set eyes upon this most luxurious slice of Italy’s northerly Lombardy region.
Alongside Lake Garda, Lake Maggiore and five other lakes on the southern edge of the Alps, it forms the Italian Lakes. And around its inverted ‘Y’ shape shoreline, together with its spectacular background canvas of mountains, you’ll find elegant, cobble-streeted villages; historic luxury hotels; the finest of restaurants and glamour, lots of it. Ferraris, five-star everything, A-list movie stars, and lots of people dressed like A-list movie stars.
The effortless style of Milan – just over an hour or so south – is all over Lake Como, but reflected in everything from the neoclassical villas to ancient lakeside villages to decadent hotels. The grandest of grande dame hotels is Villa d’Este where suites and rooms overlook the lake, and it’s surrounded by ten hectares of private park, and the building itself is split into two, the Cardinal Building and Queen’s Pavilion – names that reflect the regality and privilege of what lies within. Awash with art, both inside and out, the Villa d’Este is a masterpiece itself, with a history dating back to the 16th century when it was built for the Cardinal of Como, later owned by Caroline of Brunswick, Princess of Wales, and Prince Torlonia, before a Milanese consortium takes over to turn it into a hotel. Gaining national monument status in 1913, the hotel is now in its 150th season, and integral to those seasons since its launch in the 1960s, has been The Sporting Club.
An offering that includes a swimming pool [or rather, the iconic floating pool on the lake], gym, tennis and squash courts, as its crown jewel it has the Villa d’Este Golf Club, a course that reflects every bit of the beauty and heritage of its namesake hotel. The host of more Italian Opens than any other course in Italy, including a run of five consecutive tournaments in its early years from 1928. Today, the course is bucket-list for golfers that know, as the par 69 is one of the most challenging around, gently weaving its way through chestnut, birch and pine woods, before finishing with a stunning 19th with views of the lake.
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