{"id":2278,"date":"2018-09-10T18:32:01","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T01:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/?p=2278"},"modified":"2018-09-26T18:55:56","modified_gmt":"2018-09-27T01:55:56","slug":"how-to-experience-the-sweet-idleness-of-life-in-a-palace-on-lake-como-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/golf\/courses-and-travel\/2278\/how-to-experience-the-sweet-idleness-of-life-in-a-palace-on-lake-como-italy","title":{"rendered":"How to Experience the Sweet Idleness of Life in a Palace on Lake Como, Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(Courtesy

(Courtesy Palazzo del Vice Re) A stay in the palazzo near Bellagio is like vacationing in a timeless painting<\/p><\/div>\n

Andrea Grisdale is living life as if she were in a bestselling novel. Similar to the subject of the book-turned-movie \u201cUnder the Tuscan Sun,\u201d Grisdale, an English expatriate who took a vacation in Italy and never went back to Britain, bought, restored and renovated a historical palazzo with the help of local artisans and the use of Italian textiles, upholstery and artwork. For the past few years she has operated \u201cPalazzo del Vice Re\u201d as an old-world, luxury boutique hotel \u201cunder the Lake Como sun.\u201d It\u2019s hidden just behind the leafy corner of a colorful piazza at the harbor in the picturesque fishing village of Lezzeno, only a few miles from Bellagio, which guests can visit via water taxi or car. The Lake Como region is 90-minutes from Milan-Malpensa airport.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Palazzo del Vice Re,\u2019 which offers three multi-bedroom apartments, one junior suites and two guest rooms, was the aristocratic palace of the Spanish viceroy built in the 1500\u2019s when the Spaniards ruled Italy,\u201d said Grisdale. A stone arch leading to a paved courtyard allows guests to step into that authentic history – but with the comforts of modern luxury – in this typical Italian borgo with ornate ceilings, a 17th<\/sup>\u00a0century marble fireplace and period antiques. \u201cWe wanted people to have the opportunity to live as a local and genuinely feel like they were a neighbor and not a tourist. Guests really want to be immersed in Italian lifestyle and live the Italian way. They want to go to the bars and enjoy a cappuccino brioche. They want their spritz aperitivo.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is it about Italy in general that attracts and satisfies so many vacationers, including Grisdale, who decided to plant new roots there?<\/p>\n

\u201cItaly has everything. Food, wine, nature, history, culture, fashion, the climate, you name it,\u201d she said. Palazzo del Vice Re, open seasonally as a lakeside retreat provides opportunities for hikes, boat rides, kayaking, splashing around in a large hot tub, swimming in the lake, family meals, pizza making, and shopping \u2013\u00a0\u00a0an outlet mall just over the Swiss border sells the sought-after Italian-label fashions at equally desirable prices.<\/p>\n

Maybe the best endeavor, though, is to relax at the palace and engage in the sweet idleness Italians call \u201cdolce far\u2019 niente.\u201d Sublime moments such as these might seem the unattainable stuff of literature or paintings, but they are livable. Lingering over a latte under 400 year-old ceiling frescos or sipping a local vintage from Valtellina beneath a stone-clad, vaulted ceiling in Bar Barbarossa seem like a dream come true, especially for guests who\u2019ve just tossed a coin into the palazzo\u2019s antique wishing well. Cured meats, olives, cheeses and Italian cuisine consumed in a candlelit cantina are a daily part of life in the palazzo.<\/p>\n

American Express Travel recently named Palazzo del Vicere to its prized \u201cHotel Collection\u201d recommended list. The rate for a stylish single room is $343; while families or small groups can reside in tony two and three-bedroom apartments with views for only $680 per-night.\u00a0Learn more and reserve a dream directly with Grisdale at\u00a0PalazzoDelVicere.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Contact<\/em>\u00a0Travel Writer Michael Patrick Shiels at\u00a0MShiels@aol.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0His radio program may be heard weekdays at\u00a0MiBigShow.com<\/a>\u00a0or in Lansing on WJIM am 1240. His latest book is \u201cI Call Him Mr. President \u2013 Stories of Fishing, Golf and Life with my Friend George H.W. Bush\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Andrea Grisdale is living life as if she were in a bestselling novel. Similar to the subject of the book-turned-movie… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":2279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[1044565,1749,597860,1019768],"class_list":["post-2278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-courses-and-travel","tag-travel","tag-italy","tag-vacation","tag-trip"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2018\/09\/image22.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2278"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2280,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278\/revisions\/2280"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}