Como has a long history of architectural movements, even as recently as the early 20th century. The simple, stark Casa de Fascio in the town of Como is a precursor to modernism and seriously radical when you realise it was constructed not far off 100 years ago. The building was, in part, Urquiola’s very obvious inspiration, or starting place. But instead of concrete, here there is glass and sliding louvres made of toulipier wood; it’s still boxy and linear with strong grid work, yet almost camouflaged by wobbly reflections of the lake and green walls. There are echoes of Scandinavian cabins and Japanese ryokans where nature plays a more dominant role than the man-made.
‘We didn’t want to make an impact,’ Ignazio tells me. ‘You don’t want to come to a place like Como and say, “We are here, we’ve arrived.” ‘
But move inside and the design statement is strong. As the new art director at Cassina and a key player at B&B Italia, Moroso and Alessi, Urquiola is an interiors phenomenon. At the centre of the atrium is a stairway caged by glass and vertical copper poles with wide, heavy-set treads that seem to levitate. In the 30 suites, which all face the lake, there are dozens of styles of chair, sofa and lounger – hand-braided nautical rope; a mix of leather and worsted-spun fabrics in saddlebag brown, denim blue and steel grey – alongside iridescent glass tables shimmering in the pinks, blues and greens of soap bubbles. In the bathrooms tortoiseshell travertine sinks stand opposite matt-white bathtubs. And the lighting is just right: bright lamps for reading, subtle elsewhere.
The gardens are bountiful, thanks to Patrick Blanc, a rock-star botanist with green hair and green nail polish, who’s responsible for the 300 different plant species in the vertiginous green walls. On the horizontal plane, landscaper Flavio Pollano has terraced the rock-face, planting orange trees, oleander, fan palms and a large plane tree beside the green-marble lap pool.
There is a very good casual restaurant, with seating outside and in, by Andrea Berton of Milan’s one-Michelin-starred Ristorante Berton. It serves pan-fried verallo fish from the lake, caught by a groundsman, a two-inch-high veal Milanese coated in breadcrumbs as fine as pixels, and al dente minestrone which tastes more like a warm, crunchy salad. All of this is paired with mostly Italian wines, including 20 choices of grape, and spumante that puts Champagne to shame.
Il Sereno has been crowned the innovative, invigorating design hotspot on the lake. And the Contreras family tell me they are dreaming up a third hotel in Venice, and then perhaps the South of France, promising new properties with enviable addresses by the most sought- after designers.
I loved the location. And I loved the design. But of course what I loved most were the three Rivas. And really that is the only thing you should do on Como. Take a boat out. Hug the shore with all its glories. Then make your way to the middle of the lake, kill the engine, take off your clothes and jump in.
