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Looking ahead to our 145th season

Of course, my journey at Belvedere Bellagio started at birth! I grew up in the hotel, although no one explained to me that this place was a hotel and that all these people were our guests. This was simply my home. Like the sea or the beach, it was just where life happened.

I had breakfast in the hotel every morning, and while breakfast might not have the theatre of other meals in Italy, it’s no less delicious if you know where to look. When my classmates came over, it was pure fun. After all, not everyone aged 4 can order pizza in the afternoon as a snack and have ice cream at all hours of the day.

I would play with the other children of guests - making bracelets together or getting lost in the gardens - and I still have friendships with many of them today. When they return to stay, we reminisce as we watch our own children repeat our youth. 

I think this is what Belvedere Bellagio does best. People and memories.

The people of Belvedere Bellagio

Maybe, having lived here all my life, I've lost perspective or am simply biased. So perhaps it’s best to let the spirit of Belvedere Bellagio speak for itself, through the voices of those who truly make it home. 

Take Bruna, our Head of Housekeeping: “I have been here since May 1st 1999. I meet people from all parts of the world, they speak other languages and we meet half way with a bit of mine or a bit of theirs, and I love that. I’m a curious person. I love to know where people are from. What are their lives?”

Or Andrea, our Bar Manager: “My first season was in 1995 when I was 16 years old. Belvedere is a piece of my heart and a part of my family. My wife and I travel all over the world, we see nice places, but after two weeks I love to come back to my place here. Home is home.”

“When I’m back and I see for the first time my lake, usually I cry. Because I love this place. I don’t think that my life was ever meant to be in another part of the world. When I speak with our guests, I think they understand.”

And lastly Franco, our General Manager: “When I was younger, living in Bellagio gave me the possibility to get in touch with peoples of many other cultures and countries. I felt my life was enriched. You can meet the world in Lake Como, it opens your mind.”

A new addition to Belvedere Bellagio

Franco's words highlight a real hope I have for Belvedere Bellagio. That it be a place where the world comes to meet, where lives intertwine, and where new memories are built upon old. 

That last bit is the secret of Belvedere Bellagio: constant evolution.

This season, that evolution takes the form of Albòri, our new restaurant in what was once La Terrazza. Albòri takes you on a culinary journey from mountain to lake and beyond. While dishes express Chef Marco's Sardinian roots and global culinary explorations, Lake Como always serves as the point of origin across our tasting menus. You can find out more about Albòri here. 

Marco shares our passion for Italian cuisine with a touch of fusion, bringing a modern touch to heritage. I think this is so important: as Italians we often create barriers for ourselves, feeling bound by tradition and doing things a certain way because that’s the way it’s always been done. But tradition doesn’t die when it’s elevated or modified. It gains a fresh layer, inviting a new audience to find their own connection within its history.

My hopes for the season ahead

As we prepare for the new season, we're taking in those last quiet moments of early spring, readying our hearts and home.  

When the mind finds itself in this unusually quiet state, dreams, ideas and thoughts seem to form more naturally and I find myself filled with anticipation. 

I dream of laughter in the garden, of conversations over aperitivo, and of the joy that comes from simply being together. More than anything, I hope that each person who walks through our doors feels a genuine sense of belonging, leaving with memories that, like those of my own childhood here, will last a lifetime. 

With that mind, I look forward to welcoming you this season with a smile and the genuine embrace of a home shared.