Lake Como’s Other Luxury: Its Enduring Craft Traditions
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As such, travel and craft intersect in Como. At the palatial Grand Hotel Tremezzo, the lake’s true grande dame, owner Valentina De Santis ensures her couches, pillows, and more are upholstered by Rubelli. Her family, Comaschi for three generations, are committed to using their properties as show ponies for the local artisans and crafts. “Partnering with Como artisans is fundamental for us,” says De Santis. “Heritage, authenticity, and local identity is how we define true luxury.” Her family’s second property, the regal Passalacqua, which opened in 2022 inside an 18th-century villa, is a fever dream of frescoes, marble, and Murano glass. Grand Hotel Tremezzo can also arrange for guests to visit the Rubelli factory and see the artisans working the looms. De Santis reveals that even her crib was upholstered in local Como silk. “[These craftspeople] are custodians of Italian traditions, and they bring their centuries of craftsmanship into the hotels spaces,” she says. “It’s also about regional pride.”
The partnerships don’t end there. One of the most storied ateliers in Como is silk company Mantero, famed for its delicate printed scarves for clients like Chanel. More than 500 workers oversee current projects and an archive, a meditative space for its tomes of silk samples that houses a collection of 75,000 fabric prints, 80,000 silk scarves, and more. Though the studios are rarely open to visitors, travelers to Como can experience Mantero through Passalacqua; De Santis has worked closely with the maison on signature scarves available for purchase, which feature custom prints of the property and vignettes from its history, including the local roosters that were often used as entertainment for the nobility who lived in the villa before it became a hotel.
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