4 days ago
The 18th-century Lake Como villa where Taylor Swift came to relax
However lovely my hosts, however beautiful their home, I struggle with being a guest at someone else's house. Ungrateful, I know. But I like to be the boss of my own time. I want to get up and go to bed when I want; I like to potter around and find the things I need. I don't love having to ask people when I want something. It's a weird mix of being utterly selfish and ridiculously polite. I don't want to put anyone out.
I sometimes suffer from the same dilemma in hotels. I know the staff are paid and happy to help me when I want something, but I find it more relaxing, and often quicker, to do it myself. However, hotels don't appreciate it if you mooch around their kitchens, humming a tune and boiling your own egg for breakfast.
The obvious answer is to stay in holiday villas, which is what I tend to do. But then there's the exhausting stop-off to buy food and drink to stock the kitchen, try and understand how the air-conditioning works, and spending hours fishing leaves and bugs out of the pool because floating things unsettle my OCD. (I bet you're glad you are not going on holiday with me this summer.)
I have, however, found the perfect solution. Admittedly, it's neither inexpensive nor understated, but it really ticks every box. It's a very grand and ornate villa, nestled on the shores of Lake Como, that is serviced by the exquisite and award-winning team from the nearby Grand Hotel Tremezzo. Here you get the best of both worlds: privacy, freedom, a kitchen you can wander into, and a discreet and charming staff on hand whenever you want them. You can pretend you're totally independent while not needing to lift a finger throughout your stay. No wonder the villa was chosen by Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for a well-earned respite during the singer's Eras tour last year.
The mostly 18th-century, neoclassical Villa Sola Cabiati on Como's Riviera della Tremezzina began its life, as did many of the area's grand houses, as the summer residence of an aristocratic Milanese family. Despite it being only their holiday home, the Dukes of Serbelloni didn't skimp on the design. Outside, perfectly clipped parterre gardens swoop towards the lake. Inside the villa — with its large staircase, fresco ceilings, marble balconies and two wings housing six suites — is an extraordinary collection of art and furniture: tapestries, Murano-glass chandeliers, porcelain, murals by a pupil of Tiepolo and a bed once slept in by Napoleon and Joséphine.
Every room feels like a film set and the breakfast served in the dining room each morning looks as if it was directed by Fellini. At the back of the villa are pretty private gardens as well as a large swimming pool; at the front you can skip down the stone steps and dine or sunbathe in the arabesque gardens and admire the views of the surrounding lake while tucked away safely behind the pleasingly imposing wrought-iron gates.
There's a strong possibility you won't want to leave the villa. After all, it is fully catered. And should you, like me, wish to pretend you're happy to cook your own dinner or mix your own cocktail on occasion, they will teach you how to do so. A mixologist showed me how to make a unique espresso martini using Borghetti and Frangelico liqueurs along with Sirop de Monin (a popcorn flavour). Meanwhile, the chef and his team helped me make a delicious but simple buckwheat pasta dish, a classic from Lombardy called pizzoccheri.
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Across the road from the entrance, the villa has a private jetty — which like everything else here is theatrical — from which a classic Riva boat can whizz you to Como's other jewels. The Grand Hotel Tremezzo, with its famous white and orange striped 'beach' club, has a spa in what was once a grand library and a restaurant serving, should you desire, a risotto topped with edible gold leaf. In the other direction is my personal favourite, Passalacqua, another 18th-century villa-turned-hotel that is like a set from a Wes Anderson movie. If you arrive by boat, you are whisked up a winding pathway through the hotel's formal gardens in a bright orange Fiat Jolly with wicker seats and open canvas roof. The garden terraces are a riot of colour and pattern that manages to stay the right side of sane and somehow not distract from the jaw-dropping views over Lake Como. On a summer's day I honestly don't think there is a more perfect or romantic spot for a long lunch or sunset cocktail.
On the boat back to Villa Sola Cabiati, you pass by George Clooney's home in Laglio (the locals all love him as he lets them use his private beach) as well as the imposing Villa la Cassinella. This opulent home, with its acres of waterside gardens, is reputedly owned by Richard Branson, can be accessed only by boat or helicopter, and costs just under £168,000 a week to rent in June. But the most recognisable of them all is Villa del Balbianello. It was here that Daniel Craig's James Bond was filmed recovering from his injuries in 2006's Casino Royale. You can rent this one for weddings and events, but can't stay here.
Despite its lavish splendour, there is something comforting, even homely, about returning to the villa after a day spent exploring Como. The staff are so welcoming, the bedroom suites are large yet cosy, decorated in handpainted wallpapers and littered with plump sofas. All six suites have windows looking out onto the lake. There isn't a dud room. You sink into the soft wood-fibre sheets, stuffed from the evening's dinner and, rather alarmingly, begin to dream about breakfast — which you can make yourself. Or not. Sometimes it's good to be the guest.
Details Villa Sola Cabiati costs from €10,000 per night, including all food, the services of a butler and housekeepers, chambermaid and private chef, and two return transfers to Grand Hotel Tremezzo and its facilities,
