Lake Como’s largest private residence, Villa Durini is also one of its most historic. Built in the 1500s, this beautiful home later housed Angelo Maria Durini, a cardinal famous for patronising the arts, hosting frivolous high-society parties and introducing coffee to Italy.

More recently, French interior designer Jacques Garcia – fresh from the Palace of Versailles – restored the main palazzo while preserving its Baroque architecture. Over four years, Garcia’s team painstakingly uncovered 17th-century frescoes by the Recchi brothers, sourced museum-quality artworks and period furniture from Sotheby’s, added rare marble to bathrooms and spiced up bedrooms with red Veraseta silk. Modern touches came, too, including air-conditioning a professional, stainless-steel kitchen. All three floors – from a grand entrance hall, six bedroom suites and Steinway piano room to the indoor pool and its vaulted ceiling – now look wonderfully opulent.

As does the estate. Mammoth and manicured, Ano’s sensational Italian gardens cascade along the lake’s edge, encompassing another pool, a pier and a pergola-topped dining terrace. Factor in the fairytale views over Como to forested mountains, and no wonder weddings here are so popular. Days can be spent chartering boats or seaplanes around the lake, or enjoying wine-tasting and truffle-hunting experiences. Golf courses, gorgeous towns and spas are also close by, and your base of Ossuccio is just 40 minutes from fashion capital Milan.