Why the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni Has Been a Celeb-Favorite Lake Como Hotel for Decades

Oftentimes, when booking a visit at a storied hotel, one has to make a trade-off: history for polish. If you want to stay in rooms previously occupied by world leaders and mega stars of yore, you need to put up with scuffed wood, worn carpets, and rickety bed frames. Not so at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. Located in the picturesque town of Bellagio, often referred to as “The Pearl of Lake Como,” the hotel strikes a beautiful balance, honoring the charm of its 176-year history while maintaining the necessary upkeep to make it worth the trip in the 21st century.

Serbelloni’s history began in 1850, when the head of the prominent northern Italian Frizzoni family started to have a villa built for his wife; construction was completed four years later, and the Frizzonis resided in the villa until 1873. At that point, the building changed hands a few times, from a Swiss-German entrepreneur who converted it into a hotel, then to Swiss businessman Arturo Bucher. Since his purchase in 1918, Bucher’s family has continued to enjoy sole ownership of the property, with his offspring still involved in day-to-day operations, four generations later.

So many iconic names of every era have stayed in the hotel over the course of its vast history. It was a favorite of politicians like Sir Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy, often visited by members of the Rothschild family, and beloved by actors from Clark Gable to Al Pacino. Some suites in the hotel boast the names of the famous guests who especially favored the rooms, like the JFK suite, which also features a piano once played by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. There’s also the Helmut Newton suite, the Churchill suite, and the Queen of Sweden suite, a favorite of Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel during their marriage.

The hotel has the benefit of closing down between November and March during Lake Como’s off-season, providing five months for renovations and updates. This time off allows Serbelloni to remain in immaculate shape. But the Buchers are adamant about maintaining the original appeal of the hotel throughout any restorative project. They fill every room with authentic époque furniture and preserve crown moldings and other antique details. Even the duvets used in each of the hotel’s 94 rooms are crafted based on designs from the 19th century, hand-stitched in silk from Lake Como.

If you can drag yourself out of your room and descend the marble staircase you’ll find yourself in the heart of Bellagio. The town unfolds in a maze of sweeping staircases that twist and turn, providing surprises at each corner. After a day of walking around the nearby Villa Melzi Gardens, shopping in town, or playing tennis at Serbelloni’s private court, you’ll probably work up an appetite. Wind down in the hammam at the hotel’s new Luce de Lago spa. Then start off the night with a drink at the old-school Verri’s Bar (or smoke a cigar in the back room). From there, one can enjoy the Michelin Guide-recognized Mistral with views of the lake and a menu created by Executive Chef Ettore Bocchia, the pioneer of Italian molecular gastronomy.

Serbelloni is an ornate oasis tucked in the hills of one of the most picturesque landscapes in the world, and just an hour outside Milan, it makes for the perfect getaway post-Fashion Week, or a stop to unwind following a non-stop trip through Northern Italy. While the hotel will soon close its doors for the 2026 season, it will reopen in late March, refreshed and ready for another round of iconic guests.