HANNES KRAUSE
TIM LABENDA
GRAND TOUR ITALY
THE RENAISSANCE OF REFINED TRAVEL
MILANO
PASSALACQUA
LAGO DI COMO
LA VILLEGIATURA
We pass sleepy villages as we drive along Via Regina on the north shore of Lake Como We turn down an unremarkable side street to reach the Passalacqua Raising expectations as monumental as the gates that signal our arrival, this hotel was named the best in the world only a year after its grand opening in 2022 So where better to begin our Grand Tour? There’s no letdown . Tim and I quiver slightly as we enter the pistachio-hued, low-key and yet exquisite lobby where our room keys are lifted out of an antique vitrine and handed to us This magnificent villa—formerly home to the composer Vincenzo Bellini—is owned by the De Santis family of hoteliers, and daughter Valentina has cut and polished it into the ultimate diamond of a hotel One surprise after another awaits guests as they walk the vast grounds that cascade down to the lakeshore . We explore each terrace and discover a pool next to a dreamy old glassed-in sunroom, chickens loose in a stand of blossoming apple trees, and a secret underground passage with bronze lanterns connecting each level We’ve never seen such a perfectly conceived hotel Inside and out, the quality of even the tiniest detail outshines everything we’ve seen At the top of the list, which would be endless, are the chef in the open kitchen, a woman who knows your wish before you can speak; the perfectly harmonized porcelain; the lovingly curated amenities Most enchanting is the interior Valentina’s colorful blend of antiques, opulent fabrics, hand-painted woodwork, and Venetian glass in anything from chandeliers to mirrors, is sublime, elaborate, effortlessly stylish, and trendy, placing each thing in its element in a most salutary kind of romantic maximalism
LA TERRAZZA
LAGO DI COMO
ALTA CUCINA
Hungry from a day full of insights into the beauty of the lake, we cross the lobby of the Grand Hotel on the way to La Terrazza, its main restaurant Aside from the ultimate grandezza, the hotel is the guardian of what may be Italy’s most significant culinary treasure: It’s the only restaurant in the world licensed to prepare and serve the original recipes of master chef Gualtiero Marchesi, the first Italian to receive three Michelin stars, whose alta cucina redefined the art of Italian cooking Cooks around the world take inspiration from Marchesi’s masterpieces, but head chef Osvaldo Presazzi, a close confidant of the late maestro, is the only person with permission to recreate the recipes in their original form La Terrazza is a mecca for foodies everywhere, and the evening is a series of revelations for us as well The open conservatory becomes enveloped in evening light as true works of art parade across our plates Probably Marchesi’s best-known creation, Dripping di pesce—a composition of mixed seafood with nero di seppia, mayonnaise mousseline, and foamed tomatoes and parsley drizzled onto a dish in a Jackson Pollock-style composition—is followed by Riso, oro e zafferano, a legendary saffron risotto A square of gold leaf is the only frill there’s room for in the perfect simplicity of this dish Marchesi’s recipes are works of art that radically prove what Italian cooking is all about: simplicity (the dishes seldom have more than three main ingredients), uncompromising quality, and an unwavering passion for aesthetics
VILLA NECCHI CAMPIGLIO
MILANO
PORTALUPPICORE
We can’t get enough of Portaluppi and so we make our way from the Portrait Milano to Villa Necchi, the famous Milanese architect’s ultimate achievement A five-minute walk down Corso Venezia takes us to the villa’s spacious park grounds The pool by the front doors catches the light as we approach; this was Milan’s first private swimming pool The Necchi family commissioned Pietro Portaluppi to create a villa capable of instantly captivating any who walked in through the heavy glass doors, and it’s no wonder so many films were shot on location here Ridley Scott shot House of Gucci here, and Luca Guadagnino immortalized the villa in I am Love, with Tilda Swinton The interior is a unique blend of the finest material worldliness, not pushy or parading but understated, with exquisite quality coming through every pore . Graphic tiles of walnut and rosewood decorate the floors and stairs, green marble draws a tartan pattern across beige travertine on the floor of the conservatory, and the dining room walls are fitted with camel-toned leather tiles while reliefs of zodiacal signs arch across the chalk-colored ceiling Our favorite room is upstairs: the guestroom and adjoining bath, graphically decorated in black and white, with a Picasso and a Renoir mounted casually next to the sink . It’s a villa in which time seems to stand still Somewhere among the many rooms, Tim and I get separated, and each of us goes around anticipating that at any minute, Tilda will strike the gong and summon us to dinner
BELMOND SPLENDIDO MARE
PORTOFINO
STARLET AT THE PORT
Down along the harbor of Portofino, Michela, the general manager of the Splendido Mare, comes striding up from the other direction in an immaculately tailored Dior suit and wearing huge sunglasses We meet and hug She looks like an old-style Hollywood starlet, perfectly befitting of Portofino itself She leads us to her realm a few meters from the water’s edge The Splendido Mare is part of the iconic Belmond Splendido, up in the hills of Portofino . For years, the Mare and its fifteen rooms were little more than an extension of the grand hotel But then Michela came along and turned this hotel’s concept completely on its head, filing away at it until it had a stand-alone character, more like a boutique apartment than a scaled-down version of a giant hotel Her achievement was total Working with Festen Architecture, the Splendido Mare has crafted an interior that pays maximum tribute to Portofino, 1950s Italy, and the concept of a warm and welcoming residence for a protracted Italian vacation It’s understated but pleasant, comfortable, and the furnishings are so high-end it borders on excess: original Italian teak classics with canvas-adjacent textiles by Rubelli; painstaking terra-cotta mosaics in wave patterns on the floor, drawing the waters of the harbor into the hotel’s lobby; next to a stack of carefully curated coffee-table books, eclectic Murano vases sourced from our friends at Stories of Italy, whom we will be visiting later, when we go to Venice The intimate character of the hotel, pleasing and relaxing, continues seamlessly in our room, and to top it off, we have a terrace with the most incredible view of the harbor It’s actually really hard to tear ourselves away But Michela has invited us to join her for dinner
GRAND TOUR ITALY: THE RENAISSANCE OF REFINED TRAVEL
TIM LABENDA / HANNES-VINCENT KRAUSE
This book was conceived, edited, and designed by teNeues
Edited by teNeues
Photos by Tim Labenda
Texts by Hannes-Vincent Krause
Illustrations and Map by Joseph Dupré
Edited by Anne Paulsen
Translation by John Augustus Foulks
Editorial Management by Benine Mayer, Dr Johannes Abdullahi, teNeues
Design by Marcus Taeschner
Layout by Marcus Taeschner
Proofread Susen Truffel-Reiff
Photo Editorial by Robert Kuhlendahl, teNeues
Production by Alwine Krebber, teNeues
Printed in the Czech Republic by Finidr
Made in Europe
Published by gestalten, Berlin 2025
ISBN 978-3-96171-659-3
1st printing, 2025
The German edition is available under ISBN 978-3-96171-660-9
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