< ITALY | BELLAGIO: Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni

Slideshow Maker

Set in the magical surroundings of Lake Como, where the blue waters meets the green mountains, the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni was built in 1853 as a holiday villa for an aristocratic family from Milan. In 1872, the villa was sold, and since then it has formed the central nucleus of the luxury hotel which was opened in 1873.

Right from the outset, the Grand Hotel became the chosen destination for illustrious guests in search of peace: royalty, aristocrats, figures from international politics and, more recently, movie stars...

Its opulent interiors reflects the taste loved by the wealthy nobility of the time: walls and ceilings adorned with frescoes and paintings of mythological scenes, gilded frames, festoons, temples, putti, flamingos, and Pompeian reds.

The period wall coverings in French style, the antique Persian carpets, the crystal chandeliers from Murano, the Imperial furniture, and the neo-classical and Art Nouveau style. The coffer ceilings are often frescoed with floral patterns.

The "salle à manger" alone is a genuine monument to art, as is the Salone Reale, which in the evening is lit by bronze and crystal chandeliers, the splendour of whose lights are reflected by large mirrors.

The Sovereigns of Spain, Romania, Albania, Egypt; above all the Russian and English aristocracy; Winston Churchill, Roosevelt, the Rothschilds, J.F. Kennedy; Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Maria Schell, Clark Gable, Robert Mitchum, Al Pacino.... these are just some of the famous guests who have strolled through the rooms and lakeside gardens of the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, enjoying its beauty and outstanding hospitality.

Additional literature: n/a