· 6 min read · by Salimar Boat Tour
Il Sereno, the modern hotel that broke the lake's rule
Cruising past Torno you spot it immediately: among neoclassical villas and stone houses stands a block of glass and stone with sharp lines, and a pool that seems to float on the lake. That is Il Sereno, and the contrast is deliberate.
The first new building in seventy years
According to Wallpaper* it is the first new structure built on the shores of Lake Como in seventy years. It opened in August 2016 — some sources say 2017, which is the official opening of the following season. It stands at Via Torrazza 10 in Torno, a ten-minute walk from the village and a fifteen-minute drive from Como.
Before it, the site held the old Hotel Villa Flora, which was demolished. The historic Moltrasio-stone boathouse, the partly submerged basement and part of the retaining walls were preserved: the boathouse became the spa.
Designed by one person, down to the boats
The project is entirely by Patricia Urquiola, the Spanish architect and designer based in Milan, working with founders Luis and Angelica Contreras. She designed the architecture, the interiors, the furniture, the staff uniforms and even the boats. The building reinterprets the rationalism of Giuseppe Terragni's Casa del Fascio in Como.
- About 3,500 square metres over seven levels, two of them underground
- Facade in Ceppo di Gre stone with Pietra di Fossena paving
- Vertical green walls with over 300 plant species by botanist Patrick Blanc
- Forty suites, all lake-facing, from 45 to over 200 square metres
- An infinity pool of about 18 metres suspended over the lake, with an underwater sound system
- Custom wooden boats by Cantiere Ernesto Riva of Laglio, building by hand since 1771
Today
It is a five-star luxury hotel, a member of Leading Hotels of the World, open seasonally from roughly March to November. The restaurant Il Sereno Al Lago holds one Michelin star under chef Raffaele Lenzi. Rates start at around 950 euros a night; the largest suite, the 200-square-metre Darsena Listening Suite opened in 2025 and co-designed with the audiophile founder, starts at around 6,300 dollars.
How you see it from the boat
It is one of the most recognisable buildings between Como and Torno, and it only makes sense from the water: from the road you barely glimpse it. We pass in front of Torno on the one-hour tours and on the longer routes towards the central lake.
