Travel & Leisure

A charmingly outdated palace

This languid palace, lying along the lake, is a world in itself. For entering Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio is like being the guest of an out-of-time experience, when only the aristocrats could afford to visit Europe without a worry in the world… Although an Italian village, Bellagio looks like a Swiss town: the impressive panoramic view of the snowy Alps is enhanced by its own reflection in the lake, enticing a romantic reverie colored by the golden tiled roofs of the fishermen’s villages, and palaces or villas gardens sagging under camellias and bougainvilleas. Totally protected by the Italian Ministry of Fine Arts, the picturesque village has jealously kept its old charm and authenticity, with its sunny terraces, its steep pedestrian back alleys, its ocher Mediterranean houses, its centennial gardens, the palm trees and the old fashioned street lamps. The frequent coming and going of the valporettos and the water taxis give the finishing touch to this little Edenic landscape.

 
An extra-ordinary clientele

Till 1992, you had to take the boat to go there, but a narrow winding street has now been build. And that isolation was the location strong point for Americans or rich heirs needing quietness and anonymity. Ten “Who’s who” volumes wouldn’t be enough to make the list of all the celebrities, political or royal, who rested by the pool, by the lake, or took a nap in the king size bedded rooms or suites. Isadora Duncan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, John and Jacky Kennedy, Rudolf Valentino, D. Fairbanks used to come by Rivas, drawing alongside the Bellagio pontoons, and thus giving the nowadays quiet and sleepy village its golden status

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A little bit of history

Villa Serbelloni was built in 1488 by the Cremone family, then bought in 1853 by Count Frizzoni for his wife, who disliked it and had it sold again. In 1873, at last, it became a luxury hotel.

Gianfranco Bucher’s Swiss great grand father bought it back in 1918 from its old German owner, who died there at age 104! That Gianfranco was a true businessman: he had started as a wooden floor factory apprentice in Luzern around the 1920’ies, then decided to take advantage of the lack of comfortable and luxurious accommodation for the rich travellers by going into the hotel business. He built 37 of them all over: Genoa, Cairo, Italy, Switzerland…
He also invented the automatic braking system for funicular railways, while having 17 children from two wives: well, a busy man! The Serbelloni villa has been their family home for 5 generations, and present owner Gianfranco Bucher fondly remembers his childhood in this extraordinary house. But because of its prestigious clientele, it was forbidden to run in the corridors, pluck roses, and play near the clients, who arrived there for 6 months with piles of luggage and servants. In short, to enjoy the Dolce Vita! To take his independence, Mr Bucher studied mechanical engineering, got his diploma and began working. But the Villa wouldn’t let him go: when 26, he came back home to learn the trade from his father, whose health was becoming so poor he quickly had to take charge.
This bohemian life added to the fondness he feels for the villa make him a happy man. The hotel is independent, doesn’t belong to a network and sticks to its difference.

A baroque and neoclassical décor

A four language speaking staff (French, English, Italian and German), as well as Luciano, a true character and a peerless concierge, try to fulfill your smallest wishes and go out of the way to satisfy the clientele. In the coffered ceiling living room, -a true wonder-, with its wide fireplace and old Persian carpets, movie stars sit side by side with retired businessmen or politicians, while a musician trio is playing. Nearly all the rooms and suites, decorated in Baroque, Art Nouveau, Empire or Neoclassical styles, have a view on the lake: magical morning light garanteed! Murano glass chandeliers, huge mirrors, ceilings a fresco, Persian carpets, printed fabrics and, last but not least, the monumental stairs lit by a giant Murano chandelier, everything reminds you of the former times… Yes, some rooms are really outdated, but just one look out of the window, and it’s magic! Plus, a fresh fruit basket greets each client, courtesy of Gianfranco Bucher.
You may loose your way in the many little living rooms, with their genuine decor, but elegance is the main motto here, and this hotel is much more than a mere hotel! It’s a shelter. A destination. A pure made in Italy essence. The ambiance of yesteryear, in this Old Europe frame, makes its very brand.

A starred chef in Villa Serbelloni

Would the villa be totally old fashioned? Certainly not! For chef Ettore Bocchi, who has worked in the kitchens for several years, got his first Michelin star in 2005. He is brilliantly orchestrating the Goletta Italian dinners, set in a surprising contemporary marine décor, and the Mistral ones, on a terrace facing the lake, protected by huge removable glass windows. He once used to cook molecular gastronomy, but kept some of its combinations in his today’s cuisine, full of flavors and colors. You have to try his turbot, cooked in melting sugar, or his veal baked at low temperature; his raviolis stuffed with peacock whites and boiled in peacock and mushroom bouillon, or his fluffy ice cream, frozen by liquid nitrogen.
As to the surroundings, they are simply superb, and you can go anywhere on foot or by small valporetto, from the gardens of XIXth century villa Melzi to the little fishermen’s village of Pescalo, or to the Rockfeller Bellagio botanical gardens foundation. You can also visit sublime Carlotta and Balbianello villas, located on the opposite bank of the lake. Here, Time is… timeless. You feel as if walking in an old romantic movie set. Too bad if some of the sublime villas, squeezed between the asphalt and the safety barriers, are crumbling from lack of maintenance. You finally have to admit that Lake Como charm works on you, and that for a time, such a short and precious time, you have gone back to old Europe’s yesterdays…