Villa Arcadio

Elegant villa-resort set among olive, citrus and tomato groves on the Salo hills, with heavenly views of Lake Garda.

A former monastery, it had been empty for decades when Francesco and Jaana bought the villa in 1996. A seasoned travel-industry pro, Jaana was looking for a new project. And this was some task; transforming a medieval ruin into an 18-room boutique hotel took the best part of 10 years.

Behind rough rubbled walls, she has created elegant salons furnished with a collection of European furniture (English grandfather clocks, Italian prints, antique mirrors, smart Casa Milano armchairs). There is a candlelit dining room under a vaulted ceiling, an inner courtyard of trailing bougainvillea, a glamorous outdoor pool, and fragments of rescued 13th-century frescos. But the location is the thing. Step onto the terrace, where laced wrought-iron chairs sit beneath a vine-draped pergola, and look at that heavenly view: lush gardens speared with cypress trees and, beyond, the sparkling waters of Italy’s largest lake. Watch the sun slip behind the green mountains, or the twinkling lights of Salo against a fading evening sky. Pure magic.

Highs

• Bliss out over lunch on the courtyard terrace, on tables dressed in starched white linen, as boats shimmer across the lake
• Delicious food, much of it prepared from fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs and oils grown in the gardens
• Wonderful views of Lake Garda and the rooftops of nearby Salo, from just about everywhere including the pool
• Superb attention to design detail
• Private garaging for cars with key-card entry/exit

Lows

• A road lies between the villa and the lake, and there’s a constant hum of traffic, though the double glazing cuts out most of the noise
• If you like to soak in a tub, then you may be disappointed – the bathrooms only do showers