The Ritz-Carlton, Bellagio

The Ritz-Carlton, Bellagio brings the brand to Italy for the first time through the conservative restoration and expansion of the Hotel Grande Bretagne, a Belle Époque grand hotel that first opened in 1850 and then stood derelict for decades before the Galbusera family's Grimit acquired it. The 16,500-square-metre estate sits on Lungolago Europa just outside the village of Bellagio, on the promontory that divides the two southern arms of Lake Como, with parkland both in front of and behind the building and a medieval-style tower originally raised to drive the hotel's hydraulic lift. The restored property holds 59 guestrooms and 46 suites, among them two signature Ritz-Carlton suites framing the water. Guests get a spa with an indoor pool, a series of dining venues and gardens laid out in the Lombardy landscape tradition, with Punta Spartivento, Villa Melzi and the gardens of Villa Serbelloni all within a short walk along the shore.