Travel

Castello dal Pozzo Hotel. Charming Castle and Palace Overlooking Lake Maggiore

Il castello

Life on Lake Maggiore is a perpetual dolce far niente, with quiet villages and little towns dotting the shorelines and the snow-kissed mountains. And a stay at Castello dal Pozzo Hotel is no different. We arrive in early afternoon. From the main road of Oleggio Castello there are plenty of signs pointing the first time visitors towards the hotel's grounds. The key element however is to find your way to the village in the first place.

Il Palazzo

Castello dal Pozzo is a secluded place, thing we'll get to appreciate soon enough. We find our way to the reception area located in the Palazzo, a beautiful building dressed in pink. But just next to it we spot a construction site and can't stop wondering about it. So during the check-in process we ask the lady behind the desk and she explains that's gonna be a wellness center. Fingers crossed, by next year guests will be able to indulge themselves in some of the most relaxing treatments. Castello dal Pozzo has been recently granted the 5-star deluxe status.

The rooms of the hotel are divided between the 18th century Palazzo and the much older Castello building. We are hosted in the first one, where the restaurant, the breakfast room and all the other facilities are located. We are shown to our room, and shortly our luggage follows. I am happy to see the purple fabrics decorating the room. It reminds us of home, as our own bedroom is decorated in the same color. And though the room is smaller than I expected, it is elegant and luxurious, with incredibly high ceilings, wooden floors and beautiful views over the terraced fountain and the endless greenery. Through the trees we can even spot the Castle.

The bathroom is of a generous size and covered in marble. We are in Italy after all! The toiletries are by L'Occitane and the bathrobes fluffy and I can't wait to jump in one of them and immerse myself in the blissful laziness that seems to be the norm at Castello dal Pozzo. Apart from the staff buzzing around, all guests are in a delicious state of sheer relaxation here, and we let ourselves carried away without resisting for a split second.

But before getting comfortable in our slippers, we have a private tour of the castle scheduled. We are both very fond of historical places, so we are very excited about this. The castle is a fascinating treasure, having been described as 'one of the purest re-interpretations of Neo-Gothic Tudor in Italy'. It is also privately owned, one of the members of the Visconti Family still inhabiting one of the its wings, while the guests are being hosted in the other.

Our guide, Paola, explains us how the history of the estate intertwines gracefully with the history of Milan, how the castle was felt into abandonment and how years later the new generations came and built the palace, as a more trendy residence. Nevertheless, the Castello is full of charm, surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns and flourishing trees, and just as we are about to enter, Paola introduces us to the Marquis, a tall, handsome man, in his golden years. We shake hands and exchange a few polite phrases, and I can't believe what just happened.

The interior of the castle is gorgeous, decorated with an incredible amount of sculpted wood. It maintains its past elegance and glory and Paola tells us about the weddings organized on the terrace overlooking the grounds of the castle and the lake. It looks like the perfect setting for this kind of events, extremely romantic and luxurious.

She also lets us know that the next day the Spring Village Fête will be held on the lawn in front of the castle and she invites us for lunch on the very terrace where the wedding receptions are being held. We are very happy for this turn of events. There isn't much else to do around, and this promises to add some excitement to our schedule. The famous Borromean Islands and Villa Taranto are only an hour away from Oleggio Castello, but we don't feel like leaving the grounds.

Wine Bar in the Castle's building

After the tour of the castle we are left to freely walk around and discover the place by ourselves. The grounds are larger than we expect, with two possible trails. We explore the shorter one just before sunset, never loosing the views of the castle from our sight. We are surrounded by a you-can-hear-a-pin-drop kind of quietness. As far as we can tell, we are the only ones in the whole park. It looks pretty and walking among the trees surely is relaxing and invigorating at the same time. Not to mention incredibly romantic.

Back at the Palazzo, we admire the classy lobby for a moment, and the beautiful restaurant decorated in such a tasteful manner. We regret we are not hungry, but we sooth ourselves at the though of tomorrow's lunch when we'll be pampering our taste-buds with the delicacies prepared by the restaurant's chef.

In the morning we wake up very excited, hardly waiting to attend the Village Fête. But first we make a stop for breakfast, where we find both healthy local products, and some very tempting, sweet options.

Next we go to check out the transformations that took place in front of the castle. It is indeed a radical change. The lawn had suffered an invasion of stalls, handmade objects and antiques and a bustling atmosphere replaced the previous day's silence. It is a shopaholic's dream came true. I want to buy them all, but my husband gently reminds me they do weight luggage at the airport. I can admire them nevertheless.

There are lots of people around, it's like the castle came to life from a long slumber. There are even bird displays in the park, where once hunting expeditions were held. We are allowed to pet them, and I can't refrain from touching an especially soft one.

At noon, we go for lunch, and it's like attending a wedding, just that the bride is missing, and the guests wear casual clothes. We wash down the food with local wine. Everything is delicious and fresh. After all, Italian food has never disappointed us. We enjoy la dolce vita at Castello dal Pozzo and wouldn't want to leave!

For more info, you can check out the hotel's website and Facebook page.

We were guests of Castello dal Pozzo Hotel, however, all opinions expressed here are entirely our own and based on our personal experience.

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