Villa D'Este Style

Book excerpt: WORLD-RENOWNED FOR ITS SUBLIME BEAUTY and aura of enchantment, Lake Como in northern Italy has inspired poets, writers, and artists from the time of Virgil, while luring travelers to its shores. For nearly five centuries, visitors of celebrity, fortune, and power have come to rest, revel, and marvel at Villa d'Este, the luxury hotel as spectacular as the lake it graces. Named the third-best hotel in the world in 1999 by Gourmet magazine, Villa d'Este has dazzled an impressive array of guests, including King Leopold of Belgium, Caroline of Monaco, Evita Peron, Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, and Alfred Hitchcock. Today, this top resort destination is famed for its breathtaking gardens, its unique floating swimming pool, its exceptional cuisine, and its gala celebrations. But Villa d'Este also boasts a fascinating history filled with intrigue and passion. Villa d'Este Style opens the doors of the celebrated hotel to reveal the secrets of its colorful past and luxurious lifestyle. Jean Salvadore, public relations director at Villa d'Este for more than three decades, delves into the estate's private archives to present an unprecedented guided tour. From its birth in 1568 as Villa Garrovo, a summer estate commissioned by a prominent cardinal, to its debut as a hotel in 1873, the early life of Villa d'Este unfolds through vintage sepia-toned photographs and evocative line drawings. From its popularity with the Hollywood glitterati to its sensuous yet understated guest rooms, today's Villa d'Este comes alive in more than 100 glorious, full-color photographs. Throughout, engaging anecdotes capture the essence of the hotel -- its splendor and grandeur, its devotion to the personal and itsundercurrents of daring. The walls of Villa d'Este have many astounding stories to tell -- including the truth about the notorious murder at the Biki fashion show and the elaborate ruse behind the erotic photo shoot for Helmut Newton's provocative White Women. For armchair travelers, connoisseurs of Italian history, design, and lifestyle, and all enthralled by the inside scoop on the rich and famous, Villa d'Este Style is the ideal escape. This exquisite book stands as a tribute to a resort hotel truly in a class of its own.