An idyllic country house hotel – I discovered this magical, private kingdom twelve years ago. A friend in Italy recommended it to me. ‘Not only do they have a wonderful property with gardens, pool and a small estate chapel, they also produce their own (rather good) wines’, she enthused. Mental note to self, next time I’m on the autostrada heading from Venice to Milan, I’ll take a little detour up the Brennero motorway by Lake Garda and I’ll call in to Villa Cordevigo. Six months later that’s exactly what I did. It was to be the first of many visits.

Last week I was back at Villa Cordevigo – it was probably my tenth visit, I don’t know precisely how many times I’ve returned. What I do know is the incredible sense of calm that envelopes me when I pass through those hallowed gates.

Villa Cordevigo is surrounded by vineyards, originally it was a grand manor house, an island rising majestically from rich, fertile agricultural land. Twenty odd years ago two of the local farming families, who already ran successful vineyards in the area, made the courageous decision to buy the manor house and the adjoining land. They expanded their wine production and they embarked on a long and costly renovation programme of the house and outbuildings. Today visitors, like me, get to enjoy the fruits of their labours; luxurious accommodation, fabulous wines and great food.

_{Arriving at Villa Cordevigo is a treat. That luggage is not all mine!}

The journey really starts with a drive up the cypress tree lined avenue to the wrought iron gates that guard the estate. Visitors have to speak into an intercom system, explaining their business, before the gates swing open. From there it’s a short drive, slightly up hill, along a gravel driveway, before swinging right into a large parking area, complete with covered parking for about forty cars. I always enjoy looking at the car registrations. On any given day in the summer, cars are likely to be from France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium and even (from time to time) the UK. Just as you park your car and turn off the engine a golf cart appears at your side. Bags are loaded onto the cart and a short, but exceptionally enjoyable jaunt through the main courtyard of the hotel leads to the Reception Desk. Rooms are positioned on three sides of a colourful courtyard, which includes the bell tower of the Chapel of San Martino (the estate chapel).

My room, on my most recent visit, was upstairs in the old granaio building. All rooms are spacious with beautiful marble bathrooms, huge beds and fabulous Egyptian cotton bed linen, even the complimentary slippers are a rich burgundy velvet with gold embroidered logo and exceptionally thick and fluffy soles. Everything is top quality and the whole experience is calming and restorative.

The pool is through the courtyard and down a short path into the garden. Teak loungers surround the shimmering blue water, there’s a pool bar for drinks and snacks and a glass-fronted gym, which must double as a sauna if you try and use it in the afternoon, with the sun blazing down. After a refreshing swim and a shower it was ‘aperitivo’ time. I made my way to the terrace overlooking the ‘parco’ where Massimo was playing an electric piano and singing a range of songs, mostly Elton John and Billy Joel. I requested Pino Daniele, an Italian favourite from Napoli and Alan Sorrenti (an Italian heart-throb from the 70s). In minutes a fantastic medley was filling the air, I’ll put the names of some of the songs in the notes at the end of this article. Once you hear them you’ll be hooked. Some fellow guests were dancing and everyone else was smiling and clapping. What a great start to the evening.

_{Villa Cordevigo – pool and courtyards}

Dinner at Villa Cordevigo is a highlight. There’s the informal restaurant ‘Ristorante Cordevigo’ and the ‘Oseleta’ Michelin-starred restaurant. I ate in the informal restaurant with my friend Francesca. The food was exceptional, I had an air-dried beef starter with capers and asparagus followed by homemade pasta and a ragu sauce (the meat sauce was perfection). Dessert was a panna cotta in a crispy, white chocolate case, just divine. The combination of the food and the beautiful outdoor terrace makes for a fabulous ‘al fresco’ dining experience. Villa Cordevigo produces its own wines under the Villabella wine label. They have a great rose wine ideal for warm summer evenings – it’s called Chiaretto, so that was my choice. You can get spumante (sparkling) or fermo (flat) in other words without bubbles. Villabella also produce several whites and a variety of full-bodied reds. The property is next door to Bardolino and up the road from Valpolicella, so this really is a respected wine area. The Villabella reds are known for their quality and finesse.

_{Villa Cordevigo – rose wines at sunset – divine and friendly staff}

Professionalism and a friendly approach to service are the order of the day here. The head chef at Villa Cordevigo is Marco Marras, a dedicated and hard-working character. He is from Sardinia and is obsessed with quality, freshness and flavour. He is in charge of both restaurants. The Maitre d’ is Davide, he’s new this season and shares a passion for hospitality with the existing staff. Then there’s Paolo who does the wine tasting ‘degustazione’ in a variety of languages, take your pick – Italian, German and English. On the front desk there’s Nicola and Marco. Many of the staff members have been here for years – I won’t embarrass them by saying how many…..

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My favourite room inside the villa is ‘The Fan Room’ named after its highly decorated and fan-shaped ceiling. The room is decorated with a fabulous Murano glass chandelier in shades of pink and lemon. The ceiling is shaped in a series of curves each depicting various activities typical of a renaissance-style villa of the 18th century. Painting, music, map-making and hunting are all represented. This room also contains some of the archive materials and historic ledgers associated with the long history of the house.

Villa Cordevigo offers visitors a journey back in time, through the centuries, to an era when the whole property was a working farm with a manor house, barns and out-buildings and an estate chapel. The chapel is dedicated to San Martino and remains almost unchanged. Every year on 11th November there is a celebration to mark the Festa di San Martino, guests, clients and staff are invited to a special church service followed by drinks and lunch. The event is a traditional end-of-season celebration and coincides with the first tasting of the year’s wine harvest. It’s the only time of the year when a church service takes place in the chapel. The feast of San Martino is an important day especially in this part of Italy. It is an end of season ritual. Locals celebrate the bounty of the harvest, whilst recognising that summer is over and winter lies ahead. The Festa di San Martino is very similar to the Beaujolais Nouveau celebrations in France. San Martino was an early Christian hero, he was the Bishop of Tours in France. According to legend he was a generous and kind man, he cut his cloak in half and gave it to a beggar whom he encounteredt on a cold, winter’s night. You can read the full story about San Martino, a favourite of mine, here: Festa di San Martino – Venezia

_{San Martino Chapel and a painting of the saint. Mortal remains of Gaudensia (an aristocratic resident of Villa Cordevigo).}

One of the unfortunate consequences of a stay at Villa Cordevigo is that I never want to leave. However this time I devised a cunning plan. I’d arrived by car and needed to head back to England for a few days so I asked the fantastically kind and generous owners if I could leave my car at the hotel for a week or so, until my return, fortunately for me they agreed. So I have to offer a big thank you to the owners and staff of Villa Cordevigo, especially Lorenza Delibori, the owner and of course Nicola, Paolo, Marco and Davide. The whole team makes staying here an absolute joy. I’m always sad to leave – but this time I’ve got a new trick up my sleeve. I’ll have to come back to pick up the car!

Notes:

• Pino Daniele was a fantastic musician, singer and song writer from Napoli. Some of his most popular songs include: Vento di Passione, Questa Primavera, Amore senza fine. He is a legend in Italy. Sadly he died in 2015. There’s a cake named after him in Caffe Gambrinus in Napoli.
• Alan Sorrenti is a pop singer – huge in the 70s; Figli delle stelle, Tu sei l’unica donna per me.
• The hotel – address and contact details: Villa Cordevigo, Località Cordevigo, 37010, Cavaion Veronese (VR) Italy / Tel +39 045 7235287 / www.villacordevigo.com
• Rooms start from € 360 per night including breakfast. If you are making a booking mention me – it may (or may not) get you a better deal!
• ‘Relais et Chateaux’ is a marketing chain founded in France in the 1950s. This is a highly respected French organisation that promotes and markets good quality hotels with excellent restaurants across Europe and globally. You can read more about their story here. https://www.relaischateaux.com/fr/decouvrir/histoire
• Special thanks to Michael Bluestone of Bluestone Travel for letting me use some of his photos. Michael is a Houston, Texas based Tour Operator – consider him for high quality, tailored journeys in the mountains and less discovered places including the Faroe Islands. www.bluestone-travel.com
  

The Author – Janet Simmonds writes about travel in Europe especially Italy. She has Master’s degrees from Oxford University and Manchester University in Geography and History of Art respectively. Janet has written extensively about the history, art, geography and culture of Italy, France, The Alps and British Isles. She creates unique travel experiences for private clients, university groups, professional groups and family groups. She also works as a local expert supporting journalists and visitors to Venice. She offers guided tours throughout Italy where she acts as a guest lecturer and local expert.

You can follow her activities at www.grand-tourist.com and www.educated-traveller.com

_{As a geographer – there’s always a map close at hand! Villa Cordevigo is just east of Lake Garda (red pin)}

20th June, 2025