Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Italy / Cernobbio / Villa d'Este
Villa d'Este
Cernobbio, Italy · Independent · High Luxury
Commissioned in 1568 by Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio and designed by Pellegrino Tibaldi, renamed Villa d'Este in 1815 by Caroline of Brunswick after she was exiled by King George IV, and a hotel since 1873, where the romance between Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas began, Alfred Hitchcock holidayed every September, and the lake's only floating pool extends over the Como shoreline on a tethered pontoon.
- 152 rooms
- Opened 1873
- Neighborhood: Sant'Andrea
- Rooms from 323 sq ft (30 m²)
- Architect: Pellegrino Tibaldi
About Villa d'Este
- Villa d'Este was built in 1568 on Lake Como as the summer residence of Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio, designed by architect Pellegrino Tibaldi.
- Caroline of Brunswick, estranged wife of the future George IV of Britain, lived there from 1815 and renamed it after her supposed d'Este ancestry.
- Alfred Hitchcock filmed his first film at the villa in 1925, years before it became a full luxury hotel.
- The villa was converted into a hotel in 1873 and declared a national monument in 1913, with 152 rooms across 25 acres of Renaissance gardens.
- The hotel holds Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star status for 2026 and MICHELIN One Key for 2025.
History
Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio commissioned a summer villa on Lake Como at Cernobbio in 1568, Villa del Garovo, to designs by Pellegrino Tibaldi. Caroline of Brunswick, estranged from the future George IV, took it in 1815 and renamed it Villa d'Este after her claimed Este blood. The house became a hotel in 1873 and a national monument in 1913: 152 rooms in 25 acres of Renaissance gardens.
Alfred Hitchcock shot his first film here in 1925, and later holidayed every September. Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas began their affair under this roof. Mark Twain, Greta Garbo, and Elizabeth Taylor signed the books. The lake's only floating pool sits on a tethered pontoon off the Cernobbio shore.
You sleep in a 1568 cardinal's villa that has been a hotel longer than most houses on Como have been anything else.
The setting
6 km from Basilica of Sant'Abbondio. 34 km from Lugano-Agno Airport.
Restaurants and bars
- Ristorante Veranda — Restaurant
Amenities
- floating pool on Lake Como
- spa
- gardens
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Kids' club
- Tennis
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
- MICHELIN One Key (2025)
Open Villa d'Este in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.