Grand Hotel Fasano

Character and identity

Built in 1888 as a hunting lodge for the Austrian imperial family, this 80-room lakeside grande dame sits on three acres of Gardone Riviera coastline, halfway between Milan and Venice. Original beechwood stairs and spruce ceilings nod to its neoclassical roots, while the interiors have been pulled into the present with clean lines, cream tones, and sumptuous textiles. Gardens of palms, lemon trees and cypress lead down to the water. Four restaurants run from the chef-led Il Fagiano (Maurizio Bufi's contemporary Italian, including squid with sweetbreads and cashews) to the chestnut-shaded La Darsena, with an Aveda spa and Frauscher motorboat fleet rounding out the offer.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The pull here is the setting and the heritage: a lakefront hunting lodge with genuine 19th-century bones, serious cooking at Il Fagiano, and the toys (boats, bikes, vintage cars) to actually engage with Lake Garda. Book a lake-view room or, better, a deluxe or suite to lock in the view, and target the shoulder months of May or September for warm weather without August crowds.