Hotel Highlight - Passalacqua, Italy

Anne Marie Brown
Apr 24
3 min read

Updated: Apr 25

A Personal Palazzo on Lake Como - the Best Hotel in the World (2023)

With just 24 rooms, this sumptuous palazzo was once home to the Counts Lucini Passalcqua and hosted guests from Churchill to Bellini. It is now one of the most sought after hotel reservations in Italy, and for that matter, the world.

Now owned by the De Santis family, who also own the famous Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Passalacqua has earned a name as the Best Hotel in the World by the prestigious World’s 50 Best Organization, and is among our favorites in the Lake Como area.

It’s filled with the De Santis family’s personal antiques, from plates on the wall that belonged to their grandparents, to treasures found in the far corners of the world back when travel meant more than a plane flight.

Every room invites you to stay a while, and take in the splendor. However, the hotel has been designed to truly feel like a home rather than a stuffy palace. You're invited to live like a villa resident, put your feet up in the living room, and drift around the grounds as if they are your own.

The rooms are spread between the main Palazz, the Villa, and the Casa al Lago. Rooms boast high ceilings and Murano chandeliers, deep soaking tubs, and large windows to view the lake and the grounds. The grand Bellini Suite is the largest suite on Lake Como, and was frequented by the famous composer.

The Casa al Lago feels like your own lakeside cottage. With four rooms and junior suites, it’s perfect for a family traveling to the area.

Dining in Style

Spend your afternoons enjoying “la dolce vita” while you sip Aperol spritzes on one of the eight terraces scattered throughout the seven acre estate. Hear the wind rustle the trees along the pool while you watch boats speed by on Lake Como below.

If you’re hungry, Passalacqua has an open kitchen concept. This unique approach means you can pop into the kitchen for a snack prepared by Chef Viviana Varese whenever you choose. Spend a relaxed, farm-to-table meal in one of the outdoor dining spaces, or try your hand at one of their cooking classes. Life here is meant to feel like you are one of the former residents of the villa. This means sampling gelato when its freshly made or helping the chef to make that night’s pasta for dinner.

A wine tasting experience in their private cella, Alpenglow co-founder Anne Marie Brown checking out the Lake Como sunshine on a site visit, the open-concept kitchen where you can grab a snack.

What to Experience

The cultural experiences and activities at Passalacqua are special unto themselves. While visiting, we experienced a personalized wine tasting class in their spectacular cellar, and witnessed the epic set up for a flower arranging class.

There are tennis and bocce courts for open-air exercise, and a sunny greenhouse decorated in collaboration with La Double Jay where guests can relax with a cocktail and a book.

The hotel is situated on the hill above the town of Moltrasio, and has its own private pier on the lake. From here, you can climb aboard their vintage wooden Riva boat for a classic cruise around Lake Como to see all the spectacular villas that dot the shores.

Complete your relaxation with a treatment in the luxurious spa, where a secret staircase leads to an 18th-century underground area holding the steam room, sauna, and indoor pool.

How to Book

This hotel books up very quickly, so if you’re at all considering a trip to Lake Como in 2026 and would like to stay at Passalacqua, email us as soon as possible to secure one of the coveted rooms at this very special place.

By booking on your behalf, we’ll secure you the following benefits, (for no additional cost), and will work with our personal contacts on property to ensure your stay is nothing short of exceptional.

Passalaua Preferred Partner Benefits: