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Commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, appointed Civil Governor of the city of Tivoli by Pope Julius III, Villa d'Este is a Renaissance masterpiece of Italian architecture, officially included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. According to the first project, it would have arisen on the site of an ancient Roman villa, in order to thank the fundamental contribution of Cardinal d'Este in the election of Pope Julius III to the papal throne.
In Cernobbio, on the shores of the most romantic lake in the world, is Villa d'Este. More than a hotel, a destination. More than an ancient palace, a tradition.
More than a place, a legend. Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles, Elizabeth Taylor and Nick Hilton, Linda Christian and Tyron Power, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Ari Onassis and Maria Callas... their idyll began here. At Villa d'Este everything is the art of living. An invitation to the "dolce vita" at the foot of the Italian Alps, near Como, the Italian capital of silk, three quarters of an hour from Milan.
Built in 1568 as the summer residence of Tolomeo Gallio, a rich Cardinal with a passion for art, Villa d'Este will remain the property of the family for more than two centuries.
It was purchased in 1815 by Carolina of Brunswick, Princess of Wales, and wife of King George IV of England.
Transformed into a luxury hotel in 1873, it became a privileged holiday resort for the great European aristocracy and an unmissable stop on the Grand Tour.
Villa d'Este celebrates over 140 years of hotel experience, with exceptional service and a staff attentive to satisfying the most demanding customers: King Albert of Belgium, Queen Beatrix of Holland, Queen Sonia of Norway, Woody Allen, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Sir Paul Smith, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Oscar de La Renta, Kenneth Branagh, Robert De Niro, George Clooney.
Member of The Leading Hotels of the World, flagship of the homonymous hotel group, and owned by an important Italian family of entrepreneurs who also head to Villa La Massa in Florence, Villa d'Este is today directed by Davide Bertilaccio . "Keeping the soul of the place" is his priority.
THE COLORS OF TIME…
Like the greatest artists in the world, musicians, poets, writers, including Franz Liszt, Gustave Flaubert, Stendhal, Alessandro Manzoni, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Edith Wharton, abandon yourself to the charm of Lake Como, let yourself be carried away by the atmosphere of the place, find your own inspiration. Stroll in the 10 hectares of park, a magnificent example of an Italian Renaissance garden and a national heritage. Admire the Mosaic, read under the immortal gaze of Hercules. Famous images all over the world. Take a motorboat to reach Bellagio, approach the shores to let yourself be seduced by the scents of the gardens of Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, Balbianello in Lenno, Villa Pizzo in Cernobbio. Then forget everything aboard the floating pool on the waters of the lake.
Elegance beyond time for furnishings...
The rooms and suites, with views of the lake or the park, are divided into two buildings: the Cardinal Building and the Queen's Pavilion. Windows and terraces overlooking the lake, a view of the marina, boats that return in the silent evenings. All the rooms are spacious, with period furnishings, velvets and brocades, the atmosphere of a private residence from another era. For a more independent stay, it is possible to rent four 19th century villas within the property: Villa Cima on the lake shore, Villa Malakoff, Villa Garrovo and the Mosaic House in the park. All the intimacy of a private villa and services worthy of the "mother house". Luxury, simply.
