If we’re honest, the last time that Como truly existed within the spirit of frivolity and excess, decadence, indulgence and just plain cool was in the Belle Époque, when Milanese society regularly visited for weekends away. Things are changing, however, and while Como has always been physically exquisite with its glassy water and emerald gardens framed by imposing mountains, it has also been slightly stiff and maybe sometimes a little stuffy. So, imagine our surprise that a grand hotel with a seriously glamorous glow up is attracting a different type of crowd and an altogether different kind of energy.
What
An art nouveau grand dame that stands tall but welcomes all on the western shore of Lake Como—with a direct view of the lake towards Bellagio and the Grigne Mountains—the Grand Hotel Tremezzo has over 100 years of history, from the exuberance of the Grand Tour through the early 20th century, to the modern era and its new warm and winning streak. The hotel sits amidst lush gardens with steep terraces that encompass pools, lawns, bars and areas for lounging that frame the structure in a deep rich green. Its 90-plus rooms bear all the deeply luxurious trimmings of a hotel of another era and the mod cons of tomorrow as well as a Lago location-specific dock that allows guests to navigate the lake with ease. But the most striking part is the contrast between the classic opulence of the interiors and classical façades with the bright, bouncy fun of the tangerine candy-striped umbrellas and the aquamarine pontoon pool beyond.
Who
Bellagio-born Enea Gandola and his wife, Maria Orsolini, opened the hotel in 1910 after touring the grand hotels of Europe, welcoming noble and bourgeois families to their glamorous lakeside playground. To this day the hotel remains family run, and still retains both the hallmarks of a proprietor-led property and an air of its glamorous past. In 2010, for its 100th anniversary, Valentina de Santis—whose grandfather bought the hotel in 1973 from a previous owner who had let it languish—began to add contemporary touches in a gradual and sympathetic evolution (see: the pool and boat boys in orange Superga sneakers).
The surroundings
Como is known as a verdant garden where the scent of jasmine, magnolia and wisteria hover over the still lake and climb its steep inclines, where box hedges are perfectly manicured into terraces and vines cover palazzi facades in a neat geometry. Like every historic villa on Lake Como, the Grand Hotel Tremezzo presides over a vast park (over 20,000 landscaped square meters!). While it is the kind of hotel that is hard to leave (we rarely, if ever, say that), there are curious villages and extraordinary villas to visit dotted around the lake. One not-to-miss experience is hiring one of the hotel’s fleet of Rivas for a few hours to tool around.
The design
High ceilings, grand staircases and glittering chandeliers are all opulent hallmarks one expects of the grand hotel genre, yet there is also something timely about the Tremezzo, not due solely to its cuter new touches (that never seem out of place). It could also be that the resurgence of appreciation for Art Nouveau now lend it a contemporary appeal. Regardless, there is a lightness in the air cast by the huge curving windows and high ceilings that offset the heavier touches of yesteryear. The public spaces are open and welcoming, and guests readily mingle with each other and the staff, thanks to the wide-open lobby and bar areas. Then there is the hallmark of the hotel, its tangerine and white candy-stripe motif, which proliferates throughout, bringing a sense buoyancy. As does the new floating pool, which recreates the feeling of a classic lakeside lido with its white loungers and parasols.
The scene
In recent years, Americans, British and Australians have had an ongoing love affair with Tremezzo, but thanks to Covid-era travel restraints, Italians are waking up to its charms—a hard-won audience. The crowd is a less-traditional Italian Lakes set, as the hotel has become a destination in itself. It is really the hotel for people who would never have imagined themselves in Como.
The staff & service
It doesn’t feel rigidly Swiss-style or big hotel training rulebook here. Instead, ownership seems to prize both professionalism and personality, understanding that the best hotels are shaped by those you encounter. Shout out particularly to the boat captains.
The rooms
The newer rooms have extraordinary views and terraces, but we love the original older ones for their antique furniture, wooden closets and patina. So often in a grand hotel the rooms can feel slightly dusty, but these feel lived in—in the right way. The suites have plush velvet settees in rounded shapes that echo the lobby’s Nouveau curves, while the beds and bathrooms are what we’ve come to expect with renovations in modern hotels. Still, the expansive terraces are the highlight here, with uninterrupted views over the lake and the mountains—offering the traditional Como experience of retreating to one’s room and taking in the scenery. It goes without saying that these are the rooms to stump for, if possible, but facing the elaborate gardens is hardly a consolation prize. And anyhow, this a property that it is best to actually get out and use—including the bars and that shimmering pontoon pool.
