There is no dearth of opportunities to revel in the atmosphere of the setting sun in a manor house or a Suite de Charme in one of the Great Italian Gardens whilst exploring the Italian peninsula from north to south.
PiemonteOutstanding highland landscapes, dominated on three sides by the Alpine chain, offer a picturesque succession of mountain ranges and valleys.
Here it is possible to savour the mediaeval atmosphere when staying in the
Farm Hotel in the recently restored ancient farmstead buildings in the
Palazzo Malingri di Bagnolo Park.
The
Farm Hotel lies on the sloping foothills of the
Po Valley in Cuneo province, immersed in a two hectare park of secular trees, reached through a small doorway in the Palace courtyard. It is difficult not to marvel when suddenly confronted by this green sea, dominated by an elliptical stone pool in its midst known as the “Green man fountain”, referring to a long-forgotten legend, now sheltering small fish and newts nibbling the waterlily stalks.
Alternatively you can be enchanted by the uncontaminated nature in the Alps at Trivero, near Biella, in the
Albergo Ristorante Bucaneve (Snowdrop Hotel and Restaurant) within the
Zegna Oasis. You will be astonished at the spectacle of the majesty of the Po Valley unfolding before your eyes and the suggestive glimpses over the Upper Sessera Valley.
Here you can revel in the luxury of choice from one of the traditional wellness treatments, such as natural aesthetics, hydrotherapy, naturopathy and phytotherapy to restore your body.
Available from March 2017
The gardener's houses of
Pralormo Castle, rural suites eighteenth century placed along the walls of the castle. The current renovation will make possible to rent the apartments, once inhabited by people who worked in the castle.
Recently, however, the small
Relais di Charme by
Villa Ottolenghi Wedekind in Acqui Terni in the province of Alessandria offers its guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in the magical scenography of the park by the famous landscape architect (Pietro Porcinai, visit the
Mausoleo or
Temple of Herta, the Ottolenghi private museum and the
Cantina.
LombardiaAim for the
Villa D'Este Hotel de Charme at Cernobbio, in the heart of the Po Valley, reflected in the calm waters of Lake Como.
Housing the European nobility for centuries, this is now an elegant five-star resort, one of the most renowned in the world. Guests have the exclusive privilege of sleeping in sumptuous suites with four-poster beds and frescoed ceilings, with period furnishings, paintings and prints, as well as silks, brocades and velvets of rare quality and luxurious marble bathrooms. All this is rendered more precious by splendid views over the famous banks of Lake Como, its Gardens and the secular Park embracing the Villa which only reveals its beauties to guests.
In Varenna, nestled in the Lecco branch of Lake Como is
Villa Cipressi to stay in the heart with its complex of buildings and gardens full of history built mainly between 1400 and 1800. Once owned by the noble Serponti family (1163 ), passed to the end of the eighteenth century in the hands of the
Baron Isimbaldi and later it was bought by the family
Andreossi, who took care of the Park in particular, to move to the early twentieth century in the property of
Sir Astley and
Sir Salton , first, and the publisher Accame, then. Today it presents itself as an elegant and refined hotel that stands out for its harmonious combination of functionality and tradition, between modernity and history.
Veneto Treat yourself to a relaxing rest in the
Roncade Castle, in Treviso province, part of this thriving, prosperous region, land of cultural and artistic ferment, one of the foremost in Italy in terms of tourism. The fairy-tale Castle is a true repository of an original renaissance mansion. The present owner is passionately interested in wines and an expert connoisseur of vinification techniques, undoubtedly able to quench your “thirst” for knowledge.
Otherwise, the
Residenza Borgo 27,
Villa Arvedi awaits you at Grazzano, in Verona province. Here hospitality is guaranteed in a splendid late nineteenth century home, originally the summer residence of the Bertani family: a little jewel set into the Lessinia foothills, an extraordinarily panoramic position. The period furnishings and knick-knacks in the rooms provide a pleasant trip through history.