"It’s staggering when you stop to think just how many iconic destinations Italy contains. The lake district of the north would be the absolute pride in a lesser country; here it’s one among many unmissable attractions. All of which is the long way around to saying that Lake Garda is something special indeed. By extension, a hotel created from an aristocratic residence surrounded by acres of gardens and parkland with a view of the lake — a hotel like, say, Palace Hotel Villa Cortine — would be nothing short of extraordinary." - Tablet Hotels