Outfit Details:

Reformation Dress, J.Crew Sweater, K Jacques Sandals, WLFKxGigiNY Clutch

There were countless times I wanted to pull off the side of the road, jump out of the car and take in the magnificent views of Lake Garda on our drive from Verona. But since it was getting later in the afternoon, I promised myself (and Thomas) that I would sit patiently in the passengers seat until we got to our hotel. Villa Feltrinelli. This place is a destination in and of itself. When we started researching hotels in Lake Garda, this instantly took our number one spot. We’ve stayed in some incredible hotels over the years, but this place truly has no match.

Lake Garda is Italy’s largest lake. To be honest, I’d never heard of Lake Garda before we planned our trip. Lake Como was always on my list to visit when we went back to Italy. A quick google search changed my mind and the rest is history. We stayed on the western shore of the lake in Gargnano and visited a few spots nearby, which I’ll be sharing in a later post this week. During the day, the lake fades from crystal clear waters to a deep turquoise and at night, it takes on a silver sheen that makes it feel even more magical.

Villa Feltrinelli has quite an interesting history and is somewhat of a landmark in the Lake Garda area. It was built in 1892 and was home to Mussolini in the 1940s during the war and was opened as a hotel in 2001. Everything from the breathtaking views of the lake to the impeccable service, the ornate decor (much of it is original!) and grand pool are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Photos cannot do this place justice because it’s beyond just the look of the place, it’s the whole experience. Right when we checked in, the four of us agreed that we would come back together in the not too distant future.

We checked into our rooms after arriving (we stayed in the main house), quickly changed and hurried downstairs to watch the last bit of sun drape over the lake and the villa and ordered a celebratory bottle of rosé for our new location. We chatted away into the evening, talking about plans for the following day and what we wanted to see, before heading inside for dinner. I wore this yellow flowy floral Reformation dress paired with a blush cashmere sweater for the spring evening.