Elite Traveler HRS 2024

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Passalacqua is a gorgeous palazzo whose storied journey embraces Napoleon,

Churchill, and the composer Bellini

Passalacqua

in the suite, with a grand piano positioned where Bellini’s supposedly once was, and from where he watched for the candle in the window of the villa opposite. This signi fi ed his lover, the opera singer Giuditta Pasta, was alone, at which point he would traverse the lake for ‘rehearsals.’ Simultaneously conducting an a ff air with another married Giuditta in the adjacent villa, whose husband threw her out as a result, Bellini was busy, and his quest for artistic inspiration on Como was clearly far from uneventful. DINE In keeping with the concept of a grand private house, the appointment of Passalacqua’s head chef, Mauro Verza, appears inspired. While Mauro’s experience embraces all aspects of the gastrosphere, he’s predominantly worked as a private chef for some of Milan’s wealthiest families. Consequently, he segues seamlessly into the informal approach to dining. Embellished by the ministrations of a knowledgeable sommelier with an excellent cellar, mealtimes at Passalacqua manage to be simultaneously very low-key and very high-end.

EXPLORE Passalacqua is a particularly relaxing environment where every whim is catered to, from Barbara Sturm treatments in the spa to the intermittent thwack of tennis balls beckoning from the court below. That revered Italian art form, dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing), is actively encouraged. An afternoon by the pool keeping an eye on the ferries puttering back and forth as time ticks languidly down toward the Negroni witching hour is probably as strenuous as it needs to be. By Andrew Harris Suite Bellini from $10,000 per night. Contact Silvio Vettorello, general manager, silvio.vettorello@ passalacqua.it, +39 334 858 2575, passalacqua.it

PASSALACQUA LAKE COMO, ITALY

Constructed by Count Andrea Lucini Passalacqua in 1787, on land originally owned by Pope Innocent XI, Passalacqua is a gorgeous palazzo whose storied journey embraces Napoleon, Churchill, and the composer Bellini. It had remained a private property until fairly recently. In truth, while technically a 24-room hotel, it still has the air of a very private, very re fi ned home. That is surely the intention of the owners, Valentina De Santis and her parents Paolo and Antonella, well-known since 1975 as the owners of one of Como’s foremost Grande Dames, the Grand Hotel Tremezzo. Almost accidental proprietors, having randomly popped in to view the property days before its 2018 auction, the De Santises were soon sucked into the vortex of a meticulous $20m, three-year renovation. With Valentina immersing herself in the redesign, and her parents scouring auction rooms the length and breadth of Italy, the project was very much a familya ff air. The truly mesmerizing result bears testimony to their unrivaled suitability for the task at hand — hardly surprising after almost half a century seated at the top table of Italian luxury hospitality. STAY There are 12 rooms and suites within the main villa, including the enormous Suite Bellini, within which, as a frequent guest in the early 19th century, the composer produced two of his greatest operatic works: La Sonnambula and Norma. At around $10,000 per night and covering a capacious 2,700 sq ft, the suite is as expensive as it is expansive. The former Sala Della Musica, with its ornate frescoed ceilings, is one of two double-height reception rooms

Lake and terrace

Suite Bellini

Photos Enrico Costantini, Stefan Giftthaler