Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni
An old lady with soul and perspective
08/01/2024 Reading time: 2 Minutes
This iconic hotel in the almost surreally beautiful Bellagio can only be viewed in two ways: Either you find it wonderfully old-fashioned or terribly dated.
I'm leaning towards option one, although: The snoring dance orchestra, which has been making music since the former private villa was converted into the Grand Hotel in 1873, should gradually be sent into well-deserved retirement. And, scusa, the flair of the bar doesn't exactly get the endorphins flowing either. Apart from that: grand opera!!! Lodging like in an art history museum, strolling on Persian and Caucasian carpets that are over 100 years old, flanked by magnificent marble columns and dazzled by Murano chandeliers, ceiling frescoes, gold frames ...
And outside, the three big P's are waiting: Pool, palm trees, park. Emperors, queens, barons, counts and celebrities as diverse as Churchill, John F. Kennedy, "Star Wars" mastermind George Lucas, Romy Schneider and Al Pacino have all been enchanted by this high-dose opulence. The Pirellis also used to stay here (for three months!), even though they live just 30 kilometers away. Swiss owner Gianfranco Bucher, who lives in the hotel with his family, says: "We've always had guests with money and culture.
The sumptuous "Salone Reale" banquet hall is also a real multi-purpose weapon: a wedding banquet in the evening and a show stage for the breakfast buffet just a few hours later. At Mistral (one Michelin star since 2005), Ettore Bocchia from Parma serves up his version of molecular cuisine, while La Goletta serves trout fresh from the lake and marinated figs with passion fruit cream for dessert.
Bucher's project for the next few years: "Small private villas and a handful of new terraces". The location itself - with a dream view of the lake and mountains soaring up to 1,700 meters - remains unwaveringly stunning.
And outside, the three big P's are waiting: Pool, palm trees, park. Emperors, queens, barons, counts and celebrities as diverse as Churchill, John F. Kennedy, "Star Wars" mastermind George Lucas, Romy Schneider and Al Pacino have all been enchanted by this high-dose opulence. The Pirellis also used to stay here (for three months!), even though they live just 30 kilometers away. Swiss owner Gianfranco Bucher, who lives in the hotel with his family, says: "We've always had guests with money and culture.
The sumptuous "Salone Reale" banquet hall is also a real multi-purpose weapon: a wedding banquet in the evening and a show stage for the breakfast buffet just a few hours later. At Mistral (one Michelin star since 2005), Ettore Bocchia from Parma serves up his version of molecular cuisine, while La Goletta serves trout fresh from the lake and marinated figs with passion fruit cream for dessert.
Bucher's project for the next few years: "Small private villas and a handful of new terraces". The location itself - with a dream view of the lake and mountains soaring up to 1,700 meters - remains unwaveringly stunning.
