CERNOBBIO, Villa D'este

Villa d'Este is a historical residence built over a period of about four centuries, which has been one of the most luxurious hotels in the world since 1873.

Today, its 152 rooms are divided between the two main structures, the Cardinal's Building and the Queen's Pavilion, but there are also four private, rentable villas built between 1815 and 1860.

Only guests can enjoy the eight tennis courts, the magnificent park, the lounges and the rooms all furnished in Renaissance style, but some lucky people manage to visit a part of the gardens, by booking tickets well in advance, on the occasion of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, an event showing off vintage and luxury cars, which takes place every year on a weekend at the end of May.

One of the most striking structures in the park is the monumental 17th-century nymphaeum, decorated with mosaics, from which starts the Avenue of Hercules leading to a small temple containing a statue depicting an episode from the mythological hero's life.

Even if you don't get a chance to visit Villa d'Este, you might like to know its history.

Well, in 1442, a convent stood here, which, between 1565 and 1570, was replaced by the Villa del Garovo, named after a nearby stream, built by the powerful Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio.

After several changes of ownership, in 1784 it passed to the Calderari family, to whom we owe the nymphaeum and the statue of Hercules, and then to the famous ballerina from La Scala in Milan, Vittoria Peluso, who had mock fortifications built in the garden in honor of her second husband, a French general.

It was not until 1815 that the complex took the name Nuova Villa d'Este, at the behest of its new owner, Princess Caroline Amalia Brunswick, the estranged wife of the Prince of Wales, later to become King of England, George IV.

Unfortunately, after experiencing its last splendor with Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, who rented it between 1868 and 1870, the mansion fell into disuse and, thanks to the establishment of the Villa d'Este Society, was transformed into a wonderful hotel.

Here’s an interesting fact: during the 20th century, the hotel was the scene of a murder three times! The most notorious occurred in 1948 during a party. Countess Pia Bellentani shot and killed her former lover, Carlo Sacchi. The jury was lenient with the murderer, who only had to serve a few years in an asylum, because the victim turned out to not exactly be a gentleman.