8 Best Hotels in Lombardy and the Lakes, Italy

Europe's rich and famous have long favored this hotel, one of Italy's grandest, where rooms are done in Empire style; a broad veranda sweeps out to the lakefront; a swimming pool extends above the water; a restaurant offers top-notch views and cuisine; there are four private villas; and pavilions, miniature forts, and other follies ensure whimsical garden walks. Built on the site of a former nunnery as Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio's summer residence, this lakeside retreat has had a checkered history since its completion in 1568, swinging between extremes of grandeur and dereliction. Its life as a private summer residence ended in 1873, when it was turned into a fashionable luxury hotel.

Used as a hunting lodge in the 19th century, the Fasano has matured into a seasonal hotel with high standards, opulent rooms, and many amenities—including an Aveda Destination Spa and a well-regarded restaurant, Il Fagiano, in addition to three more casual eateries (one a short walk away). There are also two golf courses in the vicinity. To one side you face the deep waters of Lake Garda; on the others you're surrounded by a 31,080-square-km (12,000-square-mile) private park where the original Austrian owners no doubt spent their days chasing game.

Creature comforts in this turn-of-the-20th-century building—one of the top grand hotels on the lake—include a lush park, three heated swimming pools (one of them floats on pontoons on the lake), a small private beach, and sumptuous guest rooms where old-world style meets modern amenities. Get a lake-view room if you can: the Bellagio vistas across the water are spectacular, and for the ultimate splurge, the rooftop suites have their own terraces with heated, outdoor whirlpool tubs. The formal restaurant, La Terrazza Gualtiero Marchesi, serves seasonal cuisine and fresh fish with that same wondrous view from its terrace; L'Escale Trattoria & Wine Bar is a fun, casual option. Continue the pampering at the lovely T Spa, where you may splurge on a Spa Suite with private whirlpool tub, sauna, and Turkish bath.

Throughout this, the first European outpost of the luxe Il Sereno Hotel in St. Barths, you'll find floor-to-ceiling lake-view windows and an understated retro-mod aesthetic, with a muted palette of browns and grays complementing a panoply of wood, stone, leather, and copper accents. Thoughtful guest room touches include heated toilets and comfy beds; splurgeworthy penthouse perks include a private wraparound terrace and outdoor whirlpool tub. Relax by the infinity pool on the lake, sit amid the orange grove, and admire the vertical garden designed by architect Stefano Boeri, creator of Milan’s famous apartment buildings, Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest).

Set in an early-20th-century villa amid Franciacorta's hilly vineyards, this Relais & Chateaux property is a true sanctuary, with an enormous spa, a botanical garden, and vast, sculpture-filled grounds to explore. Each guest room is different, though all are decked out with luxurious fabrics; most have balconies or terraces with garden, lake, or Alpine views, and some feature Jacuzzi tubs and fireplaces. The hotel is owned by the same family as the neighboring Bellavista and Contadi Castaldi wineries, and you can sample these wines with your meals in the on-site gourmet Leone Felice or L'aurum restaurants or La Filiale pizzeria. You'll want to devote time to the spa's top-notch treatments—including hydrotherapy, body scrubs, facials, and massage—as well as its large pool, sauna, Turkish bath, and gym.

Highly personalized service and well-appointed guest rooms (including bungalows perfect for families) are among the hallmarks of Riva's largest resort; another is the beautifully manicured 17-acre garden with more than 200 species of plants. Airy public spaces include a restaurant, poolside-pizzeria, bar, spa, and wellness center. The resort is not on the waterfront, but there's a private path to the public beach and two outdoor pools, with another small outdoor pool just for the younger set, plus one indoor pool to use when the weather doesn't cooperate.

The first thing you’ll notice about this elegant resort in the hills above Gargnano are the stupendous lake and mountain views; the second thing will be its enormous spa, which is so filled with amenities (heated indoor-outdoor pool, saunas, well-equipped lake-view gym, extensive treatment menu) that you might just want to stay all day—and some guests do. The large rooms are modern and airy, and all afford panoramic views from their private terrace or balcony.

Count Andrea Lucini Passalacqua hosted artists and politicians at this 5-acre lakefront villa in Moltrasio, just north of Cernobbio, until the count's death in 1890; today the Bellini Suite (a 2,700-square-foot suite with an opulent music room reserved for Vincenzo Bellini while he composed operas) and 23 others, have restored frescoes, Murano glass chandeliers, and luxurious soaking tubs. The De Santis family's luxury hideaway, in the vein of its Grand Hotel Tremezzo, has a tennis court, pool festooned with orange-and-white striped cushioned chairs and umbrellas, 15 fountains, and staff in ascots, which adds to the bygone era atmosphere. Cocktails with garden-fresh herbs (such as a Lavender Gin Sour and Rose Petal Martini), are served in a cozy fire-lit bar, with a ceiling adorned in the Lucini family's coat of arms of three pikes, which is also the insignia on brass key chains, stationery, and embroidered robes. In the on-site restaurant, black-tied waitstaff present regional dishes such as perch and veal shank with Milanese risotto, all inspired by 19th-century botany books and served on Ginori 1735 porcelain.