Inside Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake Como’s Timeless Icon

Bellagio, 1910. When Enea and Maria Gandola left their home on the eastern shore of Lake Como for a modest fishing village to the west, they brought with them their three children—and an ambition that far exceeded the scale of their destination. They envisioned a hotel that would be charming yet aspirational, a place worthy of facing the lake’s cerulean waters and dramatic mountain backdrop. Thus began the story of Grand Hotel Tremezzo. Under the Gandola family’s stewardship, the property was conceived as a beacon of Belle Époque elegance, strategically poised to welcome the growing wave of international travellers arriving with the advent of air travel.

More than a century later, Grand Hotel Tremezzo remains faithful to its founding ethos, offering guests a rare portal into an era of patrician leisure. From its privileged position, the hotel commands sweeping views over Bellagio and the rose-hued peaks of the Grigne. Inland, it sits beside the celebrated gardens of Villa Carlotta, where lemon trees drape trellised walkways and seasonal camellias and azaleas lend bursts of colour and scent—an ever-changing tableau of botanical theatre.

As you arrive by boat at the Tremezzo dock, it’s hard not to notice the hotel’s palatial façade—yellow and warm, studded with small balconies and skirted with orange awnings made even brighter by the Lombard sun. From the front, the vibrant architecture is stacked atop green structures and walkways that lead guests towards the lakefront sandy lido, dotted with orange and white umbrellas. At the bottom sits the lake’s only floating pool. “Water-on-the-Water”, as the hotel calls it. The entire arrangement is further flanked by lush forestry and verdant hills that roll into the horizon, creating a façade that feels straight out of a Wes Anderson film.

Inside, the hotel wears its 115 years with grace and poise, having been restored and well loved by its independent owner, the De Santis family, who purchased the property in the 1970s. World-class facilities and exquisite amenities complement the hotel’s 80 rooms and suites, including rooftop suites featuring private Jacuzzis, Verona marble bathrooms, and unobstructed lake views for a true sense of indulgence and luxury. This extends into the public spaces of the hotel, where Italian grandeur is borne confidently. Crimson tables saturate the billiard room, while in the music room, vibrant multicoloured furnishings are paired with ornate silk scarves hanging framed upon the walls—a nod to nearby Como’s past as a thriving mecca for silk production.

While the hotel pays homage to stories of the past, a fairly new facet of the property is the T Spa—bringing Turkish hammams, clad entirely in Lasa marble, to the hotel and offering guests a modern take on a traditional spa ritual. Of course, in Italy, the experiences don’t stop at relaxation. Board either Ruy or Batt, the hotel’s mahogany ‘water limos’—original 1961 Cucchini crafts, known as the preferred mode of transport for Venetian aristocracy—for a memory-making excursion around the lake and the numerous borgos that line it. Or simply enjoy it poolside, cocktail in hand, beneath the fabulous cabana-style umbrellas.

Alas, no matter how arduous the day might be, it seems almost ill-fitting to end it far from a dining table—especially in Italy. The hotel’s main restaurant, La Terrazza, is where the late master of modern Italian cuisine, Gualtiero Marchesi—the first chef in Italy to earn three Michelin stars—once served his plates of culinary art. Signature to the renowned chef is his stunning presentation of modern Italian dishes. Today, chef Osvaldo Presazzi—who once worked shoulder to shoulder with Marchesi—continues the maestro’s legacy of culinary artistry. Dripping di pesce pays tribute to Jackson Pollock and his ‘drip technique’ of painting, while Il rosso e il nero, named after the 1830 psychological novel, presents a plate of monkfish in squid ink, swimming in a contrasting bright red sauce. Other eateries within and around the property include L’Escale Trattoria & Wine Bar, offering a more casual atmosphere for Italian cuisine; T Pizza, a pizzeria immersed in the park’s lush greenery; and T Bar, for aperitifs or a cheeky nightcap.

With a colourful array of top-of-the-line experiences, all wrapped within exquisite architecture, Grand Hotel Tremezzo is a living portrait of Lake Como itself—elegant, storied, and quietly cinematic, traits that have rightfully earned the property two Michelin Keys. Here, history does not sit behind glass; it hums through marble corridors, glides across the water in polished mahogany boats, and lingers over plates designed as art. Whether arriving by boat at sunrise or watching dusk settle over the Grigne from a balcony above the lake, the experience feels suspended in time, with hints of the present seeping in through thoughtful luxuries. Indeed, it is here in Tremezzo where the past and present come together for an experience sure to make you think, “Ah, La Dolce Vita.”

Grand Hotel Tremezzo