Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Italy / Moltrasio / Passalacqua
Passalacqua
Moltrasio, Lombardy, Italy · Independent · Apex Luxury
Named the World's Best Hotel in the inaugural World's 50 Best Hotels 2023 and ranked No. 4 in 2025, this 24-room neoclassical villa above Moltrasio on Lake Como was designed by Carlo Felice Soave for Count Andrea Lucini-Passalacqua and is the estate where Vincenzo Bellini composed La Sonnambula in 1831.
- 24 rooms
- Opened 2022
- Neighborhood: Moltrasio, western shore of Lake Como
- Architect: Carlo Felice Soave
- Interiors: BAMO
About Passalacqua
- Composer Vincenzo Bellini lived at the villa and is reputed to have written parts of Norma and La Sonnambula there.
- The villa's land was once owned by Pope Innocent XI, and its guests over the centuries reportedly included Napoleon and Winston Churchill.
- The De Santis family, who also own the nearby Grand Hotel Tremezzo, bought the estate at auction in 2018 as the only bidders and spent roughly 20 million euros restoring it.
- In 2023, Passalacqua was voted the World's Best Hotel in the inaugural World's 50 Best Hotels list, and it holds three Michelin Keys.
History
Passalacqua occupies an 18th-century lakeside villa above Lake Como at Moltrasio, designed by the neoclassical architect Carlo Felice Soave for Count Andrea Lucini-Passalacqua. The De Santis family — owners of the nearby Grand Hotel Tremezzo — acquired the estate in 2018 and reopened it in June 2022 as a 24-room hotel after a three-year restoration, with interiors by the San Francisco firm BAMO. The villa's past guests are said to include Napoleon and the composer Vincenzo Bellini, who is reputed to have written part of La Sonnambula here in 1831. Passalacqua was voted the World's Best Hotel in the inaugural World's 50 Best Hotels 2023 and has remained near the top of the list since, and it holds the No. 4 position in 2025.
The setting
Passalacqua occupies a neoclassical villa on Via Besana in the hillside village of Moltrasio, on the western shore ten kilometres north of Como. Designed in the late 18th century by Milanese architect Carlo Felice Soave for Count Andrea Lucini-Passalacqua on grounds once owned by Pope Innocent XI, the estate gained its musical legend in 1831 when Bellini composed La Sonnambula within its walls. Terraced Italianate gardens descend to a private lakeside dock; Gianni Versace's Villa Fontanelle is among the aristocratic properties that share this stretch of shore. Villa d'Este in Cernobbio is eight minutes away, the Como Duomo thirty-two minutes, placing this storied address at the serene, villa-lined heart of the western shore.
Restaurants and bars
- Ristorante Passalacqua — Restaurant · Italian · Chef Viviana Varese
- Sky Terrace / Bar — Bar
- La Double J pool bar pavilion — Poolside · Light Italian plates
Experiences
- La villeggiatura — The Italian tradition of the summer country stay, which the hotel says lives on at Passalacqua as a state of mind.
- Spiaggina vintage Fiat 500 transfers — A bright orange vintage open-top Fiat 500 that whisks guests around the property; open exclusively to Passalacqua guests.
- Swimming pool on the garden terrace — A pool on a garden terrace just below the main villa, edged by ancient climbing roses and a magnificent bay tree.
- Aperitivo — Pre-dinner aperitivo at the old-school bar by the pool or on the terrace, serving negroni, spritz, dry martini or champagne.
- Pasta-making session — Impromptu pasta-making session with the chef, which may evolve into a wine tasting.
- Wine tasting — Wine tastings arranged informally as part of the dining experience.
Amenities
- 18th-century villa across three buildings
- Terraced Italianate gardens
- Outdoor and heated pools
- Spa and wellness treatments
- Private boat excursions on Lake Como
- Seasonal operation (closed January–March)
- Sauna
- Fitness center
- Tennis
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Condé Nast Traveler Gold List (2026)
- MICHELIN Three Keys (2026)
- Robb Report 50 Greatest Hotels on Earth (2025)
- World's 50 Best Hotels (2025)
- AHEAD Europe Landscaping & Outdoor Spaces (2023)
- Travel + Leisure World's Best Hotels (2023)
Open Passalacqua in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.