VILLA IMPERATRICE

VILLA IMPERATRICE - TORNO

17 Bedrooms

Location and Surrounding Area
If you're looking to find a truly exclusive destination for your holiday or special event, Villa Imperatrice is the property for you. It is arguably the most prestigious waterfront property on Lake Como and has hosted a variety of illustrious guests through the ages. The villa was built in 1573 around a famous freshwater spring with a curiously intermittent flow. The villa takes its name from Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, who wrote descriptions of this peculiar water phenomena. The romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote of the villa in 1818, “This lake exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty […] But the finest scenery is that of the Villa Imperatrice […] The scene from the colonnade is the most extraordinary, at once and the most lovely that eye ever beheld. Above you from among the clouds, as it were descends a waterfall of immense size, broken by the woody rocks into a thousand channels to the lake. On the other side is seen the blue extent of the lake and the mountains speckled with sails and spires“.

The town of Como is a half hour, panoramic drive along the shores of the lake and contains numerous churches, works of art, museums, theatres, palaces and public gardens. For the walkers, there is a funicular which runs up to the village of Brunate, 700 metres above Como. It is the starting point for some spectacular walking tracks and has superb views of the Alps. Como is famous for its silk and you can either see the full silk-making processes or just sit in the lively piazzas and watch the world go by. Como also hosts various international speed boat races and becomes a magnet for the rich and famous.

Nearby Bellagio is known locally as La Perla del Lago (the pearl of the lake) for its outstanding beauty, quality restaurants, local trattorias, chic shopping and of course the famous Italian homemade gelato ice cream.

There is plenty to do on the waters of Lake Como. A whole host of water sports are available and it's easy to spend an entire day sailing, canoeing, windsurfing, water skiing and kite surfing. There are water skiing schools in Lezzano, a hydro-plane school for pilots in the town of Como and three sailing schools in Dervio.

Villa Imperatrice is 10 km from the town of Como and 25 km from Bellagio. It is an hour from Milan Malpensa international airport and an hour and a half from Milan's Linate international airport.

The Property. Magnificent Villa Imperatrice is a joy to behold and offers spectacular views across the lake and surrounding mountains. The accommodation has recently been refurbished and whilst retaining all of the period features, today's guests can enjoy a level of supreme luxury. The restorations have created four stunning, self-contained suites in the main house and two independent  houses in 18 acres of gorgeous lakefront gardens. The whole property sleeps up to 33 guests. There is even a building dedicated your wellbeing, which contains a superb infinity swimming pool giving one a blissful feeling of swimming in the lake. The spa centre also has a sauna, a steam bath and various emotional showers.

The main house has four suites.

Belgiojoso Suite. This elegant suite sleeps four guests and is named after the Barbiano Belgiojoso family, who owned the villa in the 19th century. It has two double bedrooms, one with an en suite bathroom and the other with a private bathroom. There is a kitchen containing everything you might need, a dining room and a spacious sitting room. The suite features a unique view of the waterfall from the Imperatrice spring into Lake Como and has its own private mooring.

Viscount Suite. This beautiful, first floor suite is named after the Viscount Borromeo family, who owned the property in the 18th century. It sleeps seven guests and has views over both Lake Como and the gardens. There are two double bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and a twin room and a single room, which share the same bathroom. There is a splendid sitting room, a spacious kitchen and a dining room.

Anguissola Suite. This is the largest suite in the main house and sleeps six guests. It is located on the first floor and named after Count Anguissolo, who built the villa. It features two double bedrooms and a twin bedroom, each with a luxurious en suite bathroom. There is a kitchen, a dining room and a gorgeous sitting room. The suite also offers views of the lake, the central loggia and the spring.

Berthier Suite. This intimate suite sleeps two guests in a double bedroom and has 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, dining room and divine sitting room. It is named after the beautiful Anne Berthier de Wagram, who lived for a while at the villa as a guest of Prince Emilio Barbiano Belgiojoso. It is located very close to the water and the gentle lapping of the water is guaranteed to cradle you to sleep.

Shelley House. This magnificent house right on the shores of the lake is named after Percy Bysshe Shelley and sleeps six guests. The house covers three floors and there is a large double bedroom and bathroom on the ground floor, two double bedrooms with a shared bathroom on the first floor and a sitting/dining room, modern kitchen and laundry room on the second floor. It is the closest house to the main villa and features unique, pictorial ornaments on the facades.

Plini House. This stunning house sits where the paths to the forest and the Tea House begin. It takes its name from Plini the Elder and Plini the Younger, both natives to Como. It sleeps eight guests in four, sumptuous double bedrooms, each with a private bathroom and a small terrace. There is also a sitting/dining room with a fireplace, a kitchen and a laundry room.

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