Passalacqua

The one thing

At Passalacqua the spa moves through tunnels that Count Lucini Passalacqua cut beneath his own villa nearly three hundred years ago, carrying you from the terraced gardens down into two vaulted grottos hewn from Moltrasio stone, where a dark fir sauna and a grey marble steam bath wait in the half light. The same tunnel leads on into a greenhouse that has been quietly rebuilt as a pool hall, and there an eighteen metre pool sits lined in a custom mosaic of Palladian marble, worked in green, grey and blue, with a hot tub beside it looking out over the Italian garden and the lake beyond. A treatment in the new orchard pavilion carries that same thread outdoors, with the water visible through the trees. The whole journey runs through real eighteenth century stone and glass rather than a new building made to look old.

The verdict

Passalacqua sits above the village of Moltrasio in an eighteenth century villa that the De Santis family, who also own Grand Hotel Tremezzo along the shore, opened as a twenty four room hotel in 2022. It has since become one of the most talked about addresses in Italy, placed fifth in The World's 50 Best Hotels 2026 and awarded three Michelin Keys, and its spa, unveiled in 2024, was built with the same instinct that shaped the hotel: history restored rather than replaced.

The design studio Venelli Kramer spent its effort on a part of the property almost nobody had seen, the stables, an old greenhouse and a run of underground tunnels and turned them into a spa that still feels like discovery rather than amenity. The Hall of Columns, hung with chandeliers by the light artist Yahya, sets the tone for a space that treats its own history as the decoration, needing little else. Seed to Skin Tuscany, the organic skincare house, created every treatment and ritual served here, and Chef Viviana Varese sends produce from the hotel's own garden through to the kitchen, so the same care that goes into a treatment goes into the table afterwards.

The water

The eighteen metre pool fills what used to be the villa's greenhouse, and the glass that once grew citrus now frames the Italian garden and the lake beyond it, so swimming here feels closer to being outdoors than in. The custom mosaic lining it was set by hand in Palladian marble, worked through shades of green, grey and blue that shift with the light through the glass roof, and a hot tub sits alongside it for anyone who wants to pause rather than swim. Reach the pool the way the hotel means you to, on foot through the tunnels from the grottos, and the water arrives as the end of a journey rather than the start of one.

Treatments

Passalacqua keeps its treatment side deliberately small, with two wood panelled cabins inside the Palazz and a newer outdoor pavilion set among the orchard trees, designed for massage with the lake in view rather than a wall. Every treatment and ritual on the menu was created with Seed to Skin Tuscany, whose formulas lean on natural, organic and wild ingredients from the Tuscan countryside, carried through what the brand calls an advanced molecular system built to work past the surface of the skin. The gym sits in a second former greenhouse that opens straight into the olive grove, and yoga and meditation run on the daily activities calendar for anyone who wants to start or end a day that way.

Getting in

Passalacqua is reached most easily through Milan's Malpensa airport, with Moltrasio and the western shore of Lake Como within an hour or so by road, and Como itself a short drive or boat ride away. Spa facilities and treatments are booked through the hotel's own system, linked from its spa page, and the underground pool can be reserved privately outside its regular hours. The hotel's own site describes staying for a spa day or longer, but does not state whether someone not staying at the hotel can book a treatment or facility time, so anyone hoping to visit without a room is best checking directly with the hotel before planning a trip.

What to know before you fall in love

This stays a small, personal spa rather than a sprawling one, so anyone picturing a wide menu running across several rooms at once should know the scale in advance before booking. Passalacqua closes for part of every winter, and the exact dates move from year to year, so a winter visit is worth confirming directly with the hotel before booking. The villa itself dates to the eighteenth century, and the hotel says plainly that its setting does not suit guests with limited mobility.

Best for

Lake Como travellers who want real history under their feet. Couples drawn to an intimate, two cabin spa over a large circuit. Anyone who wants the underground pool to themselves, since it can be booked privately outside regular hours. Garden lovers who will appreciate a treatment in the orchard pavilion as much as one indoors.