Bridge in Italy

Claudia stayed two nights at the Villa Arcadio and simply loved it: delicious food, friendly service, glorious location above Lake Garda and a really special boutique hotel that we can book exclusively - the ideal location for bridge. Autumn should be the perfect time to visit with the lake warm enough to swim in, no summer crowds and pleasant, balmy days. There is so much to do away from the bridge table - boat trips, garden visits, historic towns, shopping, golf, walking, cycling, wine and olive oil tasting etc - a week will hardly seem long enough!

Villa Arcadio 

Located in a former convent, Villa Arcadio is set on a hillside amid olive groves and fruit orchards overlooking Lake Garda. Carefully restored over 10 years by Finnish Jaana and her Italian husband, Francesco, the building features original fresco motifs and vaulted  interiors with stone ceilings. Elegant salons are illuminated by walls of glass and furnished with a stylish collection of English grandfather clocks, Italian prints, antique mirrors and smart Casa Milano armchairs. There is a candlelit dining room under a vaulted ceiling, an inner courtyard of trailing bougainvillea, and a glamorous outdoor infinity pool lined with loungers.

But the location is the thing. Step on to the terrace, where laced wrought- iron chairs sit beneath a vine-draped pergola, and take in the 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 Salò against a fading evening sky. 

Things to do locally

Explore the nearby Alto Gardo National Park by foot or on bike or visit the charming lakeshore town of Salò where elegant old palazzi line the narrow streets with enticing shops and cafés, while a multitude of sleek yachts bob in the large marina. The best way to get around Lake Garda is by boat, so take a ferry, hire the hotel’s own boat or book your own private water taxi.

The hotel can also organise wine and olive oil tasting, or why not just relax by the hotel’s pool, take a Finnish sauna or treat yourself to a beauty treatment or Oriental massage. We will be organising two optional day trips during the stay to the ancient Roman city of Verona and a boat trip to the tiny private island of Isola for a guided tour of the Borghese Cavazza family’s neo-Gothic villa and its glorious English and Italian gardens.