Villa Cortine Palace Hotel

Marble floors, frescoed ceilings and glittering Murano chandeliers set the tone in the historic villa, where the Koseritz Bar & Bistrot serves cocktails, charcuterie and gourmet pizzas beneath the colonnade. Fine-dining Le Gardenie opens onto a lake-view terrace, while down at the private pier, Al Molo has an enormous open grill for casual lakeside lunches. The heated pool is flanked by loungers and century-old conifers, and the Maria Callas Cocktail Bar – named for the opera diva who was a regular here in the 1950s – pours aperitivos until late into the night.

Accommodation is split between the historic villa – where you'll find original frescoes, stained glass and 1930s-style bedrooms with herringbone parquet – and a later wing that's more spacious if a little less characterful. Antique furniture, precious carpets and chandeliers appear throughout, and almost every room has a balcony or terrace looking out over either the lake or the parkland. Marble bathrooms come stocked with designer toiletries and robes, while the junior and full suites are particularly generous with their separate sitting areas and panoramic views.

Sirmione's treasures are mostly discovered on foot. Wander the medieval lanes to the moated Scaligero Castle, then continue out to the Grotte di Catullo at the peninsula's tip – a Roman villa turned romantic ruin with Lake Garda lapping on three sides. The thermal baths at Aquaria are worth a sulphurous afternoon, while boat skippers at the harbour can run you across to Desenzano or under the castle's fortified bridges. Back at the villa, there's a clay tennis court and miles of garden paths that wind past marble statues and gushing fountains.