The very beautiful and well known Villa d’Este in Cernobbio was built in the second half of the 16th century on behalf of Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio. In 1815 it was bought by Caroline von Braunswich, wife of George IV. She gave the property its name and organised lavish parties there. It was turned into a hotel in 1873.
Villa d’Este from the wharf
It was a beautiful spring day when we arrived by small ferry from Como. Directions to the Villa are sparse. If you head for the main part of the town and turn right you will eventually come to the gates of Villa d’Este. Casual visitors are not encouraged, so we had arranged a lunch booking at The Verandah.
beautiful gardens
the foyer of the hotel
these pansies were in all the garden beds
amazing gardens
As you can imagine the setting here is magnificent. The gardens are beautifully kept and the hotel itself is very grand. The pool was being filled while we were there and things were being readied for the season.
filling the pool
It is possible to arrive by private boat – an exellent way to arrive.
private boat landing
He will be there to meet you
beautiful setting
I would show you photos of the delicious grilled branzino we had for lunch and our beautifully presented dolci, but the restaurant was covered by a pretty yellow canopy which bathed everything in an orange light. We, and our food looked a little jaundiced in photos.
We spent several delightful hours at Villa d’Este. The restaurant is expensive, but the food, service and the setting is excellent.