Chapter 2. Dove Appartieni

A ‘Lagheè’ is a ‘lake dweller’ - someone from the Lake Como area who understands its culture and nuances. Someone like Franco, our house’s General Manager. He speaks to Giulia about finding the place you belong.

Franco:"When I was younger, living by the lake gave me the possibility to get in touch with people of many other cultures and countries. My life was enriched. You can meet the world by the lake, it opens your mind.

But, in my opinion, the beauty of the lake is not actually the lake. It is the mountains. When you climb into the silence of the peaks and look down, you finally see the lake for what it is: a mirror for our lives. From above, the world slows down and you understand the scale of our home."

Franco: "It is true. You may leave the lake to find the world, but you return to find yourself. For me, that sense of belonging isn’t something that happens once, it’s a quiet understanding that repeats every time I lace up my boots for a trek to San Martino. I have walked that same path for forty years, and yet, the lake never shows me the same face twice.

One day it is a reflection of a passing cloud, the next, a glint off a house on the far shore I never noticed before. That is the magic of this place. We think we know these waters and these mountains because we were raised in their shadows, but they are deep. Deeper than we could ever imagine".

Giulia: "I suppose that’s the difference between just visiting a place and living it. You start to see those small shifts in the water, the same way you recognize the scent of jasmine on the breeze. It becomes part of you. 

My family has spent over a century making sure this house doesn’t just sit on the lake, but belongs to it. When people stay with us, I want them to feel like they’re meant to be here. Like they belong in this corner of the world, even if only for a night".

"The good old days are happening right now, and I hope they’re happening for you, too, right here."

 Bak to Bellagio