Inside Passalacqua, the Lake Como Hotel That's Even Better Than All the Buzz

Whoever coined the Italian phrase “il dolce far niente” (“the sweetness of doing nothing”) might as well have been summing up the essence of Passalacqua. This is a place meant for spending lazy days by the pool with a good book, swanning around like an aristocrat and savoring leisurely meals on the terrace. Sightseeing is not the point.

And even if you’ve planned a bunch of activities, you’ll likely decide to cancel them as soon as you step foot on the estate.

For guests of Passalacqua, expectations run high. Within a year of opening, the newest and most talked-about hotel on Lake Como snagged top spots on pretty much every best-of list; its outdoor pool overlooking the lake, with its jaunty green-and-white umbrellas placed just so, and its orange convertible Fiat 500 Spiaggina have been plastered all over social media.

Receiving this much buzz can be a blessing and a curse—it can be hard for the hotel and its staff to live up to expectations. But Passalacqua doesn’t just meet our very high standards. It exceeds them.

Credit must be given to Valentina De Santis—a style icon and one of the most respected hoteliers in the industry—and her family, who honed their experience at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, just 30 minutes by car up the lake’s western shore. They purchased the spectacular 1787 villa built by Count Andrea Lucini-Passalacqua at auction in 2018 and transformed it over three years into an unparalleled retreat that attracts sophisticated guests from around the world.

They completely redesigned the outdoor pool, added an indoor-outdoor pool bar in the former greenhouse and put a 59-foot indoor pool in the spa, which was carved into the subterranean caverns extending from the former stables to the main building. Around the hotel are Fortuny silk lamps from Venice, Murano chandeliers and Ginori 1735 porcelain.

You would think hoteliers who already run one of the lake’s top hotels wouldn’t want to create competition for themselves by opening another so close to the original. But while Grand Hotel Tremezzo is truly a grand hotel in every sense, Passalacqua feels more like a family home, albeit a very lavish one.

In conceiving the hotel, the De Santis family was inspired by the concept of villeggiatura, the tradition in which noble families would ditch the stiflingly hot cities and go spend the whole summer at their second home on the sea or the lake.

To that end, the kitchen, where an impressive array of towering cakes, savory quiches, tarts, artisanal cheeses, fresh fruit and yogurt is set out every morning for breakfast, is left open all day so guests can wander in for a snack should they start to feel peckish.

Similarly, glass jars in the reception room are always filled with candy, not unlike something you’d see at a beloved grandmother’s house.

Unlike Grand Hotel Tremezzo, where there are multiple restaurants and bars, here there’s just one restaurant, but it does such a spectacular job, it’s all you need. And whether you’re down by the pool, wandering around the gardens or reading a book in the villa, a bite to eat is never out of reach. This is, after all, a fully staffed villa, just like it would have been in the 18th century. The service is discreet and intuitive, as if the staff have been here forever and know exactly what you want before you even ask for it.

The only problem you’re likely to encounter at Passalacqua is that, tempted as you might be to move in permanently, eventually, you’ll have to leave. At least during the property’s seasonal closure between early January and early March (fortunately much shorter than is typical of Lake Como). There’s always next year, though.

The Room

The 24 rooms and suites are spread across three buildings: There are 12 rooms in the main villa, eight in the Palazz (originally the stables) and four in the Casa al Lago, a little cottage on the edge of the property close to the lake, which can be rented in its entirety by families or groups that want more privacy.

Entry-level rooms are located in the Palazz, which lacks lake views but has easy access to the spa, so you can discreetly head down to the semi-subterranean space for a massage or a soak in the pool in your terry-cloth robe. Our favorite rooms, replete with high frescoed ceilings, crown molding and powdery paint on the walls, are in the villa. No matter which category you book, you’ll have a palatial bed, a marble bathroom with a separate walk-in shower and freestanding roll-top tub, a TV cleverly concealed in a trunk and beautiful period pieces.

Suites feature even more spectacular decor, including massive Murano chandeliers, gilded mirrors and art books that celebrate il bel paese. There are even glass bottles of a signature perfume, with notes of rose and orange from the garden, that make you feel like a sciura (that’s the Milanese term for a well-to-do signora).

The Features

From the keychains with the hotel’s emblem to the silver trays used for the welcome amenities, no detail has been neglected.

Don’t miss: The underground tunnel below the spa that was used in the 18th and 19th centuries to go from the lake to the villa without being seen. Ask and a staff member will give you a tour.

Favorite features: The incredible attention to detail, evident throughout the property: the generous bouquet of flowers in your room, the room keys with the hotel’s logo (three fish), the toile tote bag in the wardrobe you can bring home as a complimentary souvenir, even the marble-topped tables on the garden terrace just outside the restaurant, each of which has a different geometric pattern inspired by the floors of various Italian churches.

Can’t stop thinking about: The Suite Bellini, reportedly the largest on Lake Como. It’s named for Vincenzo Bellini, the 19th-century Italian composer, who composed his operas “Norma” and “La Sonnambula” here. The double-height suite is larger than the average New York apartment. Actually, the bathroom alone is larger than some apartments.

The Lowdown

Hop into the (fully functioning but mostly decorative) orange Fiat 500 for the perfect social media shot.

The highly specific reason you’d come here: You’re in the market for your own villa on Lake Como and need a home base while you search for one.

What are you packing? Flowy caftans with bold, colorful prints to lounge in by the pool and something slightly more elegant—but not fussy, never fussy—for evenings at the restaurant.

What’s on the speakers? Arias by Bellini are piped into the rooms through invisible speakers. In the evenings, a pianist serenades guests enjoying plates of Dover sole meunière and Rossini-style beef fillet with foie gras and black truffle.

The perfect spot for your social media post: Posing with the orange Fiat 500 parked on the grounds between the villa and the lake, of course.

Are guests staying in or going out? Guests might go out for a boat ride on the lake or a walk around Cernobbio, but if you stay here, you’re essentially living in one of Lake Como’s grandest villas for a few days, so there’s no need to go out to visit other, more crowded ones.

Passalacqua is perfectly positioned in the village of Moltrasio on the shores of Lake Como.

Fast Facts

• Number of rooms: 24
• Number of pools: 2
• Fitness center? Yes
• Spa? Yes
• Salon? No
• Number of bars/restaurants: 3
• 24-hour room service? Yes
• Childcare and kids club? Babysitting can be arranged