Villa Cortine Palace

Set in five hectares of private parkland on the Sirmione peninsula — the narrow strip of land that juts into Lake Garda like a finger pointing towards the Alps — the Villa Cortine has the feel of a private estate rather than a hotel. The neoclassical villa, originally built in the 19th century, is surrounded by fountains, cypresses, and formal gardens that slope down to the hotel's private beach. It's the quietest of Italy's grand lake hotels, which is either its greatest appeal or the reason you haven't heard of it. 54 rooms and the kind of lakeside tranquillity that the Como hotels struggle to offer.