Lake Garda
If you're flush with euros, Riva's captivating Lido Palace is the place to offload them. The exquisite building dates back to 1899 when it opened as a…
Must-see hotels in The Italian Lakes
Milan
One of the best addresses in Milan, the Four Seasons sits within a 15th-century convent wrapped around a delightful colonnaded garden. Original frescoes,…
Milan
With balconies overhanging the Naviglio Grande and striking vintage furniture selected by collector Raimondo Garau, this canalside hotel offers a touch of…
Lake Maggiore West Bank
If you want to join a guestbook that includes Hemingway, GB Shaw, D'Annunzio and British royalty, head for this rust-red hotel set at the southern tip of…
Orta San Giulio
Bagging the prize for the Italian Lakes' most extravagantly ostentatious villa (no mean feat) is this over-the-top Moorish creation in Orta topped with an…
Lake Garda
Not the sort of place you want to rock up to with a backpack and no reservation, this enchanting 16th-century locanda (inn) feels just like a luxurious…
Milan
Set in a beautifully restored neo-Gothic palazzo with high, vaulted halls and steel-grey marble fireplaces, this is finally a design hostel worthy of…
Corso Magenta & Sant'Ambrogio
A breath of fresh air in Milan's stiffly suited centre, this is the best hostel in town (and hands down the most social). Entrance is through its lively…
Bergamo
Da Vittorio is not only a noteworthy gourmet hideout 9km east of town, but also offers 10 quality suites in its low-slung country estate. Each of the…
Cremona
It's what Italians do best. Cremona's hippest hotel is a high-tech blend of glass, concrete and steel. Stylish bedrooms feature clean lines, bold colours…
Lake Maggiore & Around
This building, home to a local herbs-and-orange based elixir, has been standing high in the medieval hamlet of the Sacro Monte del Rosario since 1924…
Mantua
In this gorgeous 16th-century townhouse historic features have undergone a minimalist remodelling: exposed creamy stone walls surround pared-down…
Lake Garda West Bank
Perched above Salò and surrounded by olive groves, this converted convent lays on restrained luxury in a semi-rural setting. Enjoy the vista of glassy…
Porta Garibaldi & Isola
Can't drag yourself away from concept shop Corso Como? You don't have to – the palazzo's three guest rooms (mini-apartments with bedroom, bathroom and…
Lake Maggiore West Bank
Set in a 15th-century mini-monastery (later home of the noble Pironi family) high in Cannobio's cobbled maze, Hotel Pironi is, in a word, beautiful. Thick…
Milan
Step back in time in this beautiful 1930s apartment with rosette floor tiles, cast-iron radiators and Ariel Soule artworks. Host Franz Iacono has…
Como
An assured sense of style at this à la mode boutique hotel sees ultramodern, minimalist rooms team crisp white walls with shots of purple or fuchsia pink…
Lake Como West Bank
Suspended high above the lake in an artfully converted 1960s villa, La Perla is an impeccably run bustle-free tranquillity zone save for the pealing of…
Lake Garda West Bank
It's well worth the 20-minute drive (and you will need a car for this one) to the hamlet of Costa, high up in the mountains behind Gargnano, to reach this…
Sirmione
The location is superb: set right beside the shore, Grifone's many bedrooms directly overlook the lake and Sirmione's castle, meaning you get five-star…
Brescia
A budget city centre hotel with splashes of elegance in its recently renovated rooms. Bank on bathroom slippers, browsable art books, and a ‘welcome home’…
Bergamo
Barely a 10-minute stroll from the centre of Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII, and 20km west of Bergamo, this working farm offers 10 spacious, beautiful…
Lake Garda West Bank
It's a perfect hillside Lago di Garda bolthole: a beautifully restored, rustic-chic locanda (inn) with a kidney-shaped pool, a terrace dotted with…
Lake Garda West Bank
Loose yourself amid woodlands and wildflowers in the picturesque hamlet of San Michele. Host Raffaelle is passionate about the lake and eagerly recommends…
Milan
Rising from the ruins of the historic Palazzo Kramer, which was destroyed during WWII, Palazzo Parigi is now one of Milan’s most opulent hotels with 98…
Duomo & San Babila
Chic design accommodation, a stone’s throw away from the Duomo, showcases the unique aesthetic of celebrated Spanish designer and architect Patricia…
Milan
Just as the adjacent Botanical Gardens were used to develop medicines, the first Bulgari hotel serves up a rejuvenating tonic, with its cool, calming…
Lake Como West Bank
Located at 1576m, Venini is one of Como's most spectacularly located mountain huts. The simple guesthouse has basic rooms, which take nothing away from…
Como
The Quarcino is one of those modern Italian hotels where a relatively run-of-the-mill building gets a lesson in clever design aesthetics. What doesn’t…
Lake Como West Bank
In an elegant early-20th-century house near the heart of Menaggio, the Villa Giuliana has handsomely furnished rooms with small chandeliers, antique…
Lake Garda
Located 1.6km outside Riva, the Angelica is classified as one of Lake Garda’s historic villas with antecedents in the 14th century. Inside, the handsome…
Lake Garda West Bank
An art nouveau treat with some real history behind it, the Hotel Laurin (formerly the Villa Simonini) was the Foreign Ministry during Mussolini's short…
Lake Como
Como's most celebrated new high-end property is this lakeside blockbuster, located near the sleepy village of Torno. Elegant lines and a bold modern…
Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées
Stresa
With its grandiose Liberty-style facade dominating the southwest shore of Lake Maggiore, the Borromeo is more of a palace than a hotel. One look inside…
Bellagio
Located above the fishing hamlet of Loppia a short walk from the village, this family-run hotel is one of Bellagio's most relaxing spots. Here you can…
Lake Maggiore West Bank
Fall asleep to the sounds of waves gently lapping at the shore. La Darsene has a fabulous location on the waterfront (just south of Cannobio's main plaza)…
Bergamo
An air of elegance pervades this 14th-century townhouse in the Città Alta which cleverly fuses vecchia (old) with new with its honey-coloured beams,…
Milan
Armani's flagship hotel rises above Via Manzoni like a New Age temple, attracting acolytes who slip into its branded lifestyle as easily as they do its…
Lake Iseo
The very friendly Paolo and his family run this comfortable spotless hotel in Siviano, on the northwest side of the lake. Rooms have sweeping views, and…
Lake Iseo
This country estate, sheathed in creeping ivy, has been converted into luxury Relais & Châteaux digs. Set on a rise overlooking the surrounding…
