Location: Lake Como, Italy

A summer residence of the royals, the 16th-century Villa Sola Cabiati, still privately owned by the descendants of the Serbelloni family, stands out as one of the grandest mansions in a region full of them at Lake Como.

Known for the expansive gardens, its gilded lake-side iron gate, redesigned neoclassical facade and double staircase, the intricate stuccoes and frescoes and a priceless collection of tapestries and paintings, the majestic villa remains unique among the lake’s most aristocratic properties for its historical significance: it was formerly the residence of the Serbelloni family, one of Milan’s noblest. On-site, there is a deconsecrated chapel, and the top-floor museum even features the bed of Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine, whose entire bedroom was moved from the Serbelloni family’s Milanese residence Palazzo Serbelloni to the villa during World War II.

The 6-bedroom residence, which comes replete with a heated private pool and its own staff, is set a short drive from one of the lake’s most iconic hotels, Grand Hotel Tremezzo, by whom it is managed (and whose facilities, including the three additional pools, are open to guests of Villa Sola Cabiati), but the best way to arrive is definitely by private boat snaking along the lake or by helicopter.

source: SuiteLife by ChinmoyLad