Thirty rooms by Patricia Urquiola on the eastern shore. The most architecturally distinctive contemporary luxury hotel in Italy — and the answer for travellers who don't want a historic villa.
"30 rooms by Patricia Urquiola on the eastern shore. The contemporary Lake Como hotel — for travellers who don't want a historic villa."
Il Sereno Lago di Como opened in 2016 in Torno on the eastern shore of Lake Como, designed entirely by Spanish-Italian architect and designer Patricia Urquiola — the same Patricia Urquiola behind some of the more notable hotel and residential design work in Italy of the past two decades. The thirty rooms and suites are distributed across a single contemporary five-storey building that the architectural team designed specifically as the antidote to Lake Como's historic-villa hotel category — the most aggressively contemporary luxury hotel in northern Italy.
The thirty rooms are split between Junior Suites (with lake-view terraces), Lake View Suites, and the Penthouse Suite (the largest, occupying the top floor). Every room has a private terrace; every terrace has a custom-designed Urquiola sun lounger; every bathroom uses bespoke Italian stone and glass. The interiors are warm Italian woods, custom-designed Urquiola furniture, and a colour palette tuned to the lake's specific blue-green light. The result is a property that looks unlike any other Lake Como hotel and that the architectural press has covered extensively.
The defining feature is the infinity pool — a black-bottomed forty-metre pool extending directly toward the lake, with no visible separation between pool surface and lake surface. The pool deck is the property's social heart; the boat dock on the lake is the access point for the resort's vintage-style classic launch. The spa is small but Urquiola-designed and features bespoke Italian-spa products. The fitness centre is well-equipped.
Dining is at Berton al Lago — the Michelin-starred restaurant by chef Andrea Berton — which is one of Lake Como's most respected fine-dining experiences and is the property's primary anchor. The wine programme is strong on Italian and especially Lombardy producers. Service is consistent with the property's small scale — the staff-to-guest ratio is high, the team knows guests by name within hours, and the experience is closer to a private design home than a hotel. Il Sereno is the answer for travellers who already had the historic-villa experience and want the design-forward Italian alternative.
The Lake Como honeymoon for couples whose taste runs to contemporary design rather than 19th-century villa heritage. Book a Lake View Suite for the broad lakefront terrace. The Berton al Lago Michelin dinner; the boat tour of the eastern shore; the infinity pool at sunset. The honeymoon at Il Sereno is the architectural-design version of Lake Como.
For anniversaries the Penthouse Suite at Il Sereno — the entire top floor — is one of Lake Como's most coveted single accommodations. The team handles vow renewals on the boat dock, private dinners on the terrace, and milestone arrangements with the precision of a small property where buy-in to each guest is essentially personal.
Il Sereno's spa is small but the design and the bespoke products are excellent. For travellers who want the wellness side of the trip to be considered rather than ornamental, paired with the design-forward setting of the property.
Via Torrazza 10
22020 Torno (Como), Lombardy
Eastern shore of Lake Como; 50 min from Milan Linate (LIN)
30 rooms by Patricia Urquiola
Junior Suite from €1,200/night
Lake View Suite from €2,000
Penthouse Suite from €5,500
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Minimum stay: 2 nights
Patricia Urquiola design throughout
Berton al Lago (Michelin-starred Italian)
40m black-bottomed infinity pool
30-room intimate scale
Custom Italian-stone bathrooms
Open: April – early November
Peak: June–September (book 4–6 months ahead)
Best value: April, October
High-speed WiFi throughout
Reliable signal in all suites
In-suite office setups on request
From €1,200/night. The Penthouse Suite books 6 months ahead. The Lake View Suites are the most-requested mid-tier.
Book This Hotel →Restored 1787 villa, opened 2022. World's #1 Hotel 2023 & 2024.
73 rooms across 8 restored 19th-century villas on the eastern shore.
Built 1568, hotel since 1873. The floating pool and 25-acre Renaissance gardens.