One day last June, Dante Pennè, a plumber based in Laglio on Lake Como, received an unusual phone call. It was George Clooney’s bodyguard, Giovanni: there was a problem at Villa Oleandra, Cooney’s lakefront residence, so could he please come immediately? “I arrive and they are all upset,” Pennè recounted to the Corriere Della Sera newspaper. The issue? The swimming pool was half empty and freezing cold – and the Clooneys were expecting visitors. “Giovanni tells me, ‘Hurry up, hurry up!’” Thankfully, Pennè's skills were up to the task. A few hours after he fixed the pool, a police-escorted motorcade arrived at the mansion carrying the Clooneys’ weekend guests: Barack Obama and his family.
Only on Como. The lake has captured the imaginations of the great and the good ever since the Romans first adopted it as a holiday spot. But it wasn’t until the Romantic poets eulogised it on their Grand Tours that it began to acquire the fame that it has today. Lord Byron visited, as did Wordsworth, who described it as “a treasure, which the earth keeps to itself”. Not so any more. Over the last century everyone from Frank Sinatra to Madonna, Sir Winston Churchill to Donatella Versace and Sir Alfred Hitchcock to Sir Richard Branson have found themselves drawn to its tranquil waters, balmy climate and picturesque Alpine landscapes.
While the pull of Como never went away, recently it seems to be attracting a new crowd. Perhaps it’s the glamorous locale luring the Instagram influencers, the short-haul destination appealing to climate-conscious Europeans or simply the renowned restaurant scene attracting a new generation of foodies. But where once Como was mainly the preserve of more, well, mature travellers, it is now finding favour with a youthful demographic. Just glance around the speedboats that fill the lake for the annual San Giovanni fireworks festival – they’re packed with the young beau monde.
Minded to join them? Here's where to stay...
Il Sereno
The first new-build to open on the lake in decades. Whereas most lakeside accommodation is to be found inside grand old villas, this 30-room hotel stands out for its clean, minimalist architecture, all wood, steel and stone. The pitch is clear in everything from the Maserati that will collect you from the train station to the zippy Riva motorboat that guests can borrow from the hotel dock: this is a place for having a good time and doing so in a way that’s not remotely stuffy. Serenohotels.com
Read GQ's full review of Il Sereno.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo
This sumptuous belle époque palace set in 20,000 square metres of landscaped parkland is an emblem of Como's past. In the 1932 film Grand Hotel, Greta Garbo famously referred to Tremezzo as “that sunny, happy place”. The current chief executive, Valentina de Santis, however, has overhauled it with a more contemporary idea of glamour. When she took over, she injected fun into the interiors – the lobby is full of bold reds and modish flower arrangements; bright orange inflections run through everything from balcony awnings to pool towels – and she spearheaded a wave of construction, including a fully refurbished spa and a whole new floor of maximalist “rooftop suites”. The most sought-after, the Front Suite, has a private terrace, a mini pool and a huge panoramic window that looks out over the lake to the Grigne mountains in the distance. More established hotels are also getting in on the act. Grandhoteltremezzo.com
Read GQ's full review of Grand Hotel Tremezzo.
Mandarin Oriental, Lago Di Como
The first luxury hotel group to arrive on the lake has taken up residence inside one of the most historic buildings – Villa Roccabruna, formerly home to the great 19th-century soprano Giuditta Pasta – and reimagined it as a marriage of very-mod-cons hospitality and Italianate romance. Beyond the grand marble staircase and huge picture windows of the main house, you’ll also find the slick and minimalist L’Aria restaurant for contemporary fine dining. Mandarinoriental.com
Read GQ's full review of Mandarin Oriental, Lago Di Como.
Villa d’Este
For Como at its most traditional, head to the magnificent 16th-century palace that is Villa d’Este. Here, after exploring the huge landscaped gardens, you can take a table in one of the terrace restaurants just feet from the water and watch the sky pink in. In the Veranda restaurant men are still required to wear a jacket and tie to dinner, where bow-tied waiters bring silver platters to tables draped with white linen. And yet this too has become an Instagram hotspot. Just ask some of its recent dinner guests, the Clooneys and the Obamas. Villadeste.com
