They do it so well. The Italians that is. Such imagination and such refinement in best utilising their impossible precipices and improbable shapes and angles. For I had come to Lake Iseo, an hour from Milan’s Linate airport and called Sebino from the Latin for ‘double-hooked’ and divided between Bergamo and Brescia. It’s wonderfully punctuated with a dozen towns, some medieval.
I arrived beside the lake’s eastern shore at Sulzano to fireworks. Surely heralding the good times ahead? Down a dimly-lit romantic street I savoured the joy of arriving by night at the boutique 4* Hotel Rivalago (www.rivalago.it). For what a present awaited me as I drew the morning curtains to the full view of the lake and Monte Isola with its buildings in their harmonious sun-blest blend of ochres and terracotta. Hotel Rivalago is twenty years old and family-owned. It’s a beautifully renovated period building and though mainly for couples with families also welcome, it felt very exclusive, spacious and airy.
I strolled down Sulzano’s Via Cadorna with its charming bougainvillea. This quiet town has a convenient ferry stop from which I crossed the lake to Monte Isola, the largest inhabited island of European lakes. It all felt very Venetian with the boat’s clunking gates and striped mooring poles. Churches dominate villages as at Siviano and willow trees grow in the water camouflaging the roads. Locals blend effortlessly with tourists. Strollers and cyclists exercise at ease along the boardwalk from Peschiera Maraglio to Sensole past its allotments and cat sanctuary.
Some of the hotel’s 40 Rooms (from €211 per night) have lakeside views. All are intimate and cosy in their light blue and cream décor: a soft, harmonious palette which picks up the freshness of the foyer. Such classical Italian flair with rich fabrics, floor-to-ceiling linen curtains, hardwood floors and antique furniture. Decidedly tasteful and relaxing. An elegant lawn, with palm trees shading a variety of seating options to fit the hour, slopes towards the lake. The heated outdoor swimming pool beckons and swimmers and canoers launch from the floating pontoon. Lunch at the hotel’s La Colazione consists of a confident menu that includes grilled fish and tropical salads. I sat on a velvet seat under a glass veranda overlooking the lake and the mountains with their sloping grass meadows and steep Alpine ravines. So dreamy and mesmerising right on the water’s edge.
How wonderful it is to see the lake by sailing boat. And none better than aboard ‘Nessa’ a 50-year-old Venetian classic wooden 2-masted ketch that can take eight guests. The prow stretched ahead bobbing like a galloping horse. My expert skipper Davide offered me delicious food and drink onboard. He took me from the town of Iseo on a bespoke return trip around Monte Isola famed for its salami and olive oil. And such utter peace when he then switched off the engine. All so dreamy with the lapping, the ripples and the dappled light upon the water. I loved taking my imagination into the two privately-housed islands of San Paolo with its abundant foliage and San Loreto with its quirky castellations. The mantra of the boat company Sailing Iseo Lake (www.sailingiseolake.it) is “what remains deep down are not material things but experiences”. I couldn’t agree more.
Between Iseo and Brescia are the twenty communes of Franciacorta and over 100 wineries known for their Sparking Wine. It’s made using the same method as champagne but is cheaper and less acidic than French fizz. Indeed it’s easier to drink and less prete ntious, but much nicer than prosecco.
Receptionists in their signature uniforms of vertical green and white with brown bands welcomed me at L’Albereta (www.albereta.it) a true 5* in Lombardy’s Erbusco village. It’s part of the Relais & Chateaux brand and its mantra declares: “One feels at home even when away from home”. Set in wondrous woods it comprises five buildings and dates from late neo-Renaissance 19th century. The double rooms are from €360 per night though all the 57 rooms and suites are different. My attic room was so romantic with its great use of angles, its rustic terracotta colours, marble flooring and divine linen sheets. Not to mention its private balcony with views of the vine-strewn valley, the lake and alpine foothills.
The hotel’s six restaurants offer real choice for those staying a while. There’s La Filiale pizzeria, Quintale steak and grill and the all-day Stanza 54 on a terrific terrace amongst the treetops. There’s Ristorante Benessere where, as a glowing guest in my dressing gown, I had an after-treatment bio-light meal appropriate to their philosophy of “promoting a healthy lifestyle without foregoing the pleasures of the palate”. There’s Leone Felice with its spectacular view and impressively illustrated menu with its emphasis on local produce. And to cap them all, for fine dining, L’Aurum (a linguistic play on gold and laurel) is truly a theatrical delight. In Italy the feast is as much visual with its presentation. The mirrors resembled living wallpaper and behind the curtains the performance began. How I love witnessing an antique device for pressing tomatoes: one up on the usual ‘sbriciolatore’ (table crumber)! L’Aurum’s mantra certainly “celebrates the cuisine of the here and now”. Such magic, beauty and unfolding surprises.
The hotel’s Chenot Wellness Retreat has a team of 40 expert masseuses, doctors, dietitians, osteopaths and wellness coaches whose concept is: “live healthier for longer”. My programme of hydrotherapy, mud wrapping and a cupping lymphatic draining massage left my vitality and balance fully restored. I felt sensational. With its boutique shop, helipad and a guestlist including Sophia Loren, L’Albereta is a top class hotel.
From ivy to vine. From hederated villa to a tour of Bellavista winery with its impressive artworks and signature red bull reflecting the Taurean owner.
The ancient vineyards of Franciacorta have a balanced micro-climate and all the vines are in meticulous and immaculate rows. Then comes their late August harvest and their traditional processing using hands both for picking and even ‘riddling’ (bottle turning). I particularly loved tasting the ‘non dossato’ sugar-free variety.
You don’t forget the experience once you enter the discreetly signed Cadebasi restaurant (www.cadebasifranciacorta.it)! Wine racks act as décor beneath old beams and beside raw, teal walls and bare-tiled floors. The room’s all about transparency and light. Seated in one of the twelve intimate tables I was treated by chef Cristiano and owner Alex to endless surprises, to extremely pleasurable and flavoursome explosions of taste. My three suggested courses comprised local ingredients to become original and highly inventive dishes: both carnal and vegan. All very sophisticated and in keeping with the menu’s slogan ‘buffetti’: the word for a friendly endearing sentiment. I recommend this hidden gem of Erbusco. To experience more to where the Milanese retreat I took a 90-minute taxi across to Arona on the southerly tip of Lake Maggiore. Unlike Lakes Como and Garda you won’t be surrounded by your own nationals as it’s mainly Swiss, Dutch, French and Germans that visit.
Beside the boutique shops of Arona and tucked away down a side street spilling out through an historic gateway onto a charming, cobbled courtyard is Anticogallo (www.anticogallo.com). This restaurant means ‘old cockerel’ so I successfully chose the roast chicken. This former inn above some stables has a winning simplicity with its rustic tartan tablecloths. Here the warm-hearted Isabella and obliging husband Stefano, owners since 2009, provided generous helpings of honest fayre at very affordable prices. It’s open for lunch at weekends and popular with the tourists.
A mere 60 km from Milan and a 10-minute drive away from the drama of the lakeside above Arona is Castello Dal Pozzo (www.castellodalpozzo.com/en/). Part of Preferred Hotels and Resorts and family-owned and run by Cassiano and his children Guendalina and Aimone since 1995, it dates back to the Visconti family and even the 10th century.
This boutique hotel comprises three buildings: the Stables, the Castello and the Palazzo. The historic stables have been restored into rooms. The Neo-Gothic castle has 59 gorgeous acres of parkland and manicured lawns, imposing views overlooking Lake Maggiore and a lovely family chapel. The Palazzo is the hotel proper with its facade presented in a soft hue of pink blush. Inside are high ceilings, Murano chandeliers and wood panelling. Of the 46 rooms (from €270 per night) some have views of the lake. All come with canopy beds, lavish fabrics and antique furniture. My blue room suggested the fabulous lake visible from my balcony out from my divine French windows.
The enfilade along beautifully proportioned anterooms prepared me for Le Fief, the exquisite dining room with its mirrors and tapestries, its aqua colours and green chequered tiled floor. Not to mention a wonderful fine dining experience in keeping with its mantra of “a culinary experience that speaks to the heart”. I also experienced Dan Garden Lounge with its “easy gourmet” bistro. What an idyllic setting with its sumptuous lawns set beside rows of tall, ancient trees. I particularly loved the impressive-sized swimming pool and my walk locally to the gorgeous village church of Oleggio Castello. So grounding with its tolling bells. Not to mention the hotel’s great service and charming staff.
I took the ferry from Arona during its Sunday morning bric-a-brac market. The journey zigzagged across the village stops to Santa Caterina where with the snow-capped Alps in the distance I entered the Eremo hermitage chapel perched on the rocks. So serene and truly heavenly. I returned to stroll along the quayside to La Vecchia Arona (www.vecchiaarona.it). Here diners sit out on summer nights while over the road is the immaculate and classy restaurant proper. It’s run by chef Gabriele and his graceful wife Sabrina. Within are two rooms with tasteful nautical and fish décor by Fornasetti on wallpaper panels. The style is traditional and the delicious fish options of roe and trout from the lake are reasonably priced. Everything is presented elegantly on beautifully crafted plates beside the shiniest of silver champagne buckets and the home-made bread is a further sign of the restaurant’s quality.
How fitting that I left after an evening of fireworks beside the lake. Such a welcoming and re-energising trip.
Hotel Rivalago www.rivalago.it
L’Albereta www.albereta.it
Castello Dal Pozzo www.castellodalpozzo.com/en/
