Mandarin Oriental, Lake Como

Mandarin Oriental, Lake Como is a five star resort hotel in Blevio, in the province of Como, Italy, built around the eighteenth century Villa Roccabruna on the shore of Lake Como. The opera singer Giuditta Pasta bought the villa in 1827 and had it rebuilt as a neoclassical manor with gardens and guesthouses by the architect Philip Ferranti between 1827 and 1829, after which it became a gathering place for artists and musicians, including the composer Vincenzo Bellini, who wrote two of his operas there. The resort reopened under Mandarin Oriental management in spring 2019 after extensive refurbishment, and today spans nine buildings with 75 rooms, two restaurants and a spa.