For all the extravagant glamour, this region of Italy has a wonderfully personal side, especially when it comes to its family-run boutique hotels and phenomenal food.
Fall may be one of the best times to visit Lake Como. The summer crowds have largely disappeared, but the weather can still be glorious. During my visit, the days were sunny and warm, perfect for wandering or sitting at a waterfront café with a glass of local Domasino Bianco and a bowl of olives, watching the boats crisscross the lake. It’s a theatrical scene: Mountains rising dramatically above the water, their slopes dotted with centuries-old villages, and grand Palazzos with their terraced gardens (still in bloom, by the way) and graceful cypress trees lining the shore. And, of course, there's the food. Italy rarely disappoints on that front, but as I discovered, the restaurants here can be every bit as remarkable as the view.
I spent my time in the region staying at three characterful properties belonging to R Collection Hotels, a family-owned Italian hospitality group. Each has a strong sense of identity, down to the smallest design details. There’s the grand historic hotel, an intimate lakeside villa, and a slick, modern retreat. Beyond Lake Como, R Collection also has properties in Milan, along the Portofino Coast and in the mountains of Valle d’Aosta.
First stop: Menaggio, a charming town on Lake Como’s western shore where Grand Hotel Victoria Concept & Spa occupies a magnificent 19th-century property. The five-star hotel has been beautifully renovated, combining its historic architecture with contemporary interiors and eye-popping lake views.
The hotel's 12,900-square-foot ERRE Spa is a sensorial world unto itself, with pools, saunas, steam rooms, a salt room, Kneipp walk, and an extensive treatment menu that could happily occupy a full day of serious indulgence.
There are few better ways to greet the morning than a breakfast spread like theirs: homemade pastries, Italian cheeses and cured meats, and perfectly prepared eggs. It took enormous restraint not to keep returning to the buffet, which was a good move since I spent the afternoon at nearby Victoria Beach, the hotel's lakeside beach club, taking one of their pizza-making classes learning the art of traditional Neapolitan pies.
From Menaggio, a boat carried me across the lake to Varenna, where cobblestone lanes wind between old buildings and open onto water vistas. With just 13 rooms and suites, Casa du Lac feels more like the private Italian home of someone with impeccable taste.
Some rooms have been newly renovated in rich greens, with velvet furnishings and, to keep things from being too serious, boldly, colorfully tiled bathrooms. My mornings were spent blissfully sipping coffee on a balcony just a few feet above the lake, watching ducks, swans and the early ferries go by.
The food was another reason to love Varenna. At Visteria, the restaurant at nearby Hotel Royal Victoria (an R Collection property), chef Francesco Sarno puts a creative spin on the cooking of his native Campania, with tasting menus and à la carte options. A beautifully composed assortment of fish from the lake and sea, some raw and others cooked, was almost too pretty to eat. Then came the most tender venison of my life.
Away from the table, Varenna is lovely to explore, especially the gardens at historic Villa Cipressi, with meandering stone paths through a flowering landscape. This time of year, the persimmon trees were heavy with orange fruit, ready for picking.
My final stop was Bianca Relais, a strikingly modern ten-room hotel set on grassy grounds overlooking Lake Annone, a smaller lake in the foothills of the Alps near Oggiono. There are grapevines and a vegetable garden that supplies the restaurant kitchen, while inside, the rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto private outdoor spaces. Some suites even have their own steam rooms. The small spa is equally stylish.
At Michelin awarded Bianca sul Lago, chef Filippo Oggioni's elaborate tasting menu began with a succession of aperitivo bites, including crisp fish skin topped with a tiny salad and a soft egg custard with cheese served in its shell. That was followed by pasta fragrant with fall spices, a delicate shellfish zabaglione, and remarkably silky lake fish with pesto and plum paste.
In addition to the three hotels, Villa O in Cernobbio is another upcoming R Collection property worth mentioning. Opening in 2027, the restored 1940s estate has been transformed into private luxury residences, offering a more secluded option on Lake Como.