If you love fine Italian wine and lakes, Villa Cordevigo, a Relais & Châteaux hotel located near Lake Garda is a place you should consider staying at when in Northern Italy. If you’re on a road trip, it is a wonderful place to stop for the night when driving between Milan and Venice.
We drove down a perfectly manicured cypress-lined driveway that eventually led us to a gorgeous red and yellow 17th-century villa that exudes opulence. Once we parked our car, a member of the villa’s staff transported our luggage onto an electric golf cart and chauffeured us to the lobby so we could check-in. There we were offered a glass of Villa Cordevigo’s own sparkling rosé and sat in the courtyard admiring the stunning gardens and fall foliage.
Our Elegance Room overlooked the pool and Villabella vineyards and I especially enjoyed the large steam shower. Overall, there are 35 rooms and suites that are located in the main building and in the side wings called barchesse. Each room is unique in its own way, but they all exude old-world charm and feature modern amenities.
You won’t want to miss the delicious breakfast in the morning! The breakfast spread includes fruits, cereals, pastries, homemade cakes, local cold cuts and cheeses. Eggs are made to order and are cooked to perfection!
After breakfast one morning, I went on a vineyard tour in an electric golf cart. Since it was during Harvest Season and the grapes hadn’t been picked yet I found fruitful vines with garganega grapes along with corvina veronese grapes. I also saw lesser known varieties such as Oseleta, an ancient variety which has given its name to Villa Cordevigo’s restaurant that’s Michelin recognized and serves Mediterranean cuisine.
In addition to great wine, Villa Cordevigo produces some magnificent extra virgin olive oil. The Lake Garda area is known for making marvelous extra virgin olive oil and a surprising amount of lemons. This is surprising considering how far north in Italy you are.
Something that’s not to be missed is the chapel on-site that’s dedicated to Saint Martin. It houses some of Saint Martin’s bones and there’s also a collection of relics from other saints throughout the ages. Overall, the history and beauty combined with wonderful food and wine make for a lovely stay at Villa Cordevigo.