Honeymoon Guide: Lake Como
After five nights in Paris, the next stop was Lake Como in Italy. Our home for the next three nights was the incomparable CastaDiva Resort & Spa, located in Blevio on the west side of the lake. There’s no possible way I could have prepared myself for the beauty of Lake Como or CastaDiva, where each day felt like waking up in an honest-to-goodness dream.
When it comes to honeymoon resorts, I honestly can’t imagine how it could get more perfect than CastaDiva Resort & Spa. You’ve got all the privacy in the world when you want it, but there are exquisite common rooms in the main building to mingle with other guests if the mood strikes you. Our Penthouse Suite came outfitted with its own kitchen, dining table, bathroom with separate shower and (humongous!) deluxe tub, and a living room and bedroom with doors opening onto a private garden balcony and views of the lake. Talk about a sunbather’s paradise!
CastaDiva dates back to the 1800s, where it changed owners from Parisian dressmaker Madame Ribier to Giuditta Pasta, an Italian soprano considered one of the best opera singers of all time. From CastaDiva‘s own website: Giuditta Pasta bought the villa in 1827 with the first money she earned as a singer, and renamed [the main building] to Villa Roda. The building was refurbished between 1827 and 1829 by engineer Filippo Ferranti, Giuditta’s uncle. Villa Roda actually comprised three houses – the main villa and two guest houses. The former was a multi-storey building with an arcade designed by painter Francesco Hayez and built by sculptor Alessandro Puttinati, that reproduced the colonnade of Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Giuditta Pasta wished to live in a house that looked like the place where she found success.
We spent much of our time exploring the grounds of the incredible resort (and there was much to explore) and eating the incredible Italian food, both via room service and the wonderful Orangerie restaurant, which boasts two-Michelin star chef Gennaro Esposito at the helm of the menu. However, we made sure to take advantage of the hotel’s shuttle to get into the city of Como, where there were beautiful streets to explore and delicious gelato to eat. Oh, and shopping, how could I forget shopping?
