Villa d'Este

A summer residence for a cardinal in the sixteenth century, Villa d'Este has served as a luxury hotel since 1873. Nestled inside a stunning building within a 25-acre park, each of its distinctively decorated guest rooms features oil paintings, silk-covered furnishings and, in some cases, balconies or terraces. The wellness center is a destination unto itself, and the gardens are a botanical wonderland of roses, jasmine and wisteria, with a nymphaeum from the 1500s as the centerpiece. The gardens also provide accent flavors for dishes in the restaurants, which include the jacket-and-tie-required Veranda overlooking the lake.