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This is part of Off Season Italy, a collection of guides highlighting the year-round appeal of Italy's most popular destinations, courtesy of our favorite local tastemakers. Read more here.
There are those who are to the manor born. Valentina De Santis was to the grand-hotel born. Her grandfather acquired one of the lake’s hospitality legends, the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, in 1975. Born in 1982, Valentina grew up wandering its corridors and getting little “don’t tell mum and dad” treats from the kitchen staff. Gradually, her sense of the hotel as one big playhouse morphed into a fascination with its inner workings and the mysterious qualcosa that keeps a venerable luxe hotel fresh and relevant. When her father talked her into joining the family business as the “GHT” celebrated its centenary in 2010, this interest became a professional one. Just over a decade later, the family acquired Villa Passalacqua, an 18th-century lakeside villa not far from Tremezzo. We spoke with her about the most beautiful time to visit Como, when the streets are less crowded and the days get crisper.
Let's talk timing—is there a sweet spot for visiting Como and embracing life as the locals do?
I love late fall and the beginning of winter. In recent years, early October has been almost as busy as summer, but numbers start dropping off in the month's second half. By November, when most hotels have closed for the season, it’s pretty much just us locals. But alongside a few other hoteliers around Como, my family and I have embraced the challenge of extending the season. Passalaqua now stays open all through November and December into the first week of January.
What do you love more about these end-of-year months?
The light. The lake changes with the seasons. At this time of year, you either get crisp days when you can almost reach out and touch the opposite shore or romantic mornings when what we call la bruma—a kind of winter mist—rises off the water and everything is hazy and indistinct. You also get the most incredible sunrises and sunsets, and I love to go for long walks with family and friends in the chestnut woods. We always come home with bagfuls of chestnuts. Then begins the fun of roasting them.
Are there any travelers visiting during this cooler time of year?
Milan is only an hour away, and so is the Swiss border, so there are a few visitors—especially on the weekends. Many villa owners like to spend time here in the low season, too. But mostly, it’s just us locals.
Where can people find you eating come fall and winter?
Tremezzo is known by international visitors for its lake views and the historic villas that line it, but its historic center—or rather historic centers, because the town is actually a cluster of semi-independent villages—are up above. It’s a genuine place with a mountain soul. To experience it, you should head for a family-run trattoria called La Fagurida, which has been running since 1974. They always have one daily special pasta or risotto, and they do lake fish, roast rabbit, polenta, and grilled homemade sausages—simple mountain food. In summer, they’re pretty busy, but out of season, you’ll see only locals here. For me, the menu is more suited to the cooler months.
What's a cold-weather dish you look forward to all year?
There’s a wonderful winter dish that’s a specialty of Bellagio. It’s a kind of polenta called tóc that’s only made on special occasions by the few local guys—the “maestri del tóc”—who have had the tradition passed down to them. It consists of corn flour, butter, and cheese in equal proportions, stirred for hours in a copper pot. The polenta becomes so thick that you can eat it with your hands—and that’s how you’re supposed to eat it. Everyone gathers around the pot with wooden spoons and breaks off chunks. Few visitors ever get to eat tóc as it’s a dish that’s eaten mostly in the cellars of local families. There’s just one place they will make it for groups if you order in advance—a trattoria called Polentoteca Chalet Gabriele in the hills above Bellagio.
Which areas on the lake come alive once the temperatures start to drop?
There's a sparkling atmosphere in the run-up to the festive season. Even the smallest lakeside towns are full of life. There are Christmas markets where people meet up with friends, and all the bars are buzzing. The various districts of Tremezzo compete to create the most beautiful presepe (nativity crib). Everyone gets involved, and the whole place becomes a living craft workshop.
Speaking of festive seasons—does the winter weather make a huge impact on Como?
If you take a boat out, you may have to wrap up warm. The plus side is you’ll often have the lake completely to yourself. Also, the shorter days mean you spend more time indoors. It’s a great time to catch up with that book you’ve been meaning to read. Or to launch into a long cooking or baking session, which is something I love to do.
What does your perfect wintertime Saturday look like?
I love to walk into Como along the lakeside promenade from my house. It’s a fascinating historic city, full of great little shops and places to eat and drink. On the way, I’ll stop for a breakfast of cappuccino and brioche at my favorite café, Dolciamo in Borgo Vico. Then I might wander through the lanes of the old town, maybe stopping at Pastificio Braglia to pick up some of the best fresh ravioli anywhere in the world. If I’m with friends who are new to the area, I will take them in the cable car up to the mountain town of Brunate, which has spectacular views of the lake—especially from the lighthouse dedicated to Como’s famous scientist Alessandro Volta (he’s why volts are called volts). If I’m still down in Como città, I’ll head for lunch at Trattoria del Gallo, an old-fashioned osteria with a modern, slow food focus on great ingredients and great wine. Then I’ll head back home, where my thoughts will turn to dinner: "What shall I make to go with those ravioli?'"
What is one thing that really gets you in a festive mood?
I’m going to go with the chestnut gathering. Plus, I love just spending time with my family.
