CASABIANCA Como
On Lake Como, a 1930s villa is reborn as a maison d'art with 20th-century masterpieces and a café serving fine pastries
A 1930s villa on Lake Como has been reborn thanks to the vision of the De Santis family, who have combined their passion for contemporary art, hospitality, and the "Lario" with a synergy with the Cova Montenapoleone fine pastry brand.
CASABIANCA is the latest passionate project by Paolo and Antonella De Santis, owners, along with their daughter Valentina, of the Grand Hotel Tremezzo and Passalacqua. They have innovated the world of hospitality on Lake Como by celebrating art, culture, and the (true) Italian Dolce Vita.
The villa, designed in the 1930s by Piero Ponci as the private residence of the famous Rosasco family of textile industrialists, later serving as offices, a showroom, and finally the headquarters of a bank, was reborn in 2025, while retaining its original name, thanks to a passion for collecting spanning over forty years.
We like the idea that visitors to the collection can do so at their leisure, perhaps stopping to read a book about art, taking the time to breathe in the space. We want CASABIANCA to live with those who inhabit it, even if only for an hour.
(De Santis family)
For years, Paolo and Antonella had dreamed of bringing their passion for contemporary art beyond the walls of their home, into a space that would represent its continuity, open to the public and characterized by the warm hospitality for which they are known worldwide today, leaving nothing to chance.
The Art Collection: A Tribute to the Geniuses of the 20th Century
The collection on display—with a marked international scope and a focus on Italian contemporary art of the last 50 years—is composed of approximately 50 works, including paintings, sculptures, and installations by some of the most important names in the art scene, including Vedova, Kiefer, Pistoletto, Kentridge, Paolini, and Kounellis, spread across three floors and fifteen rooms.
The furnishings also feature the masters of 20th-century design, with a tribute to the genius of Ico Parisi and Gio Ponti. Original furnishings and sketches interact with the clean lines of the walls and, in particular, the works of Mario Radice and Manlio Rho, pioneers of Como abstract art.
The Menu: The Excellence of Cova Montenapoleone Patisserie
The collaboration with Cova Montenapoleone, a brand the De Santis family has been a loyal customer of for years, accompanies guests from breakfast to aperitif, with various dedicated rooms on the ground floor and a separate entrance from the art collection.
Breakfast and Afternoon Tea
The menu celebrates the great classics of Lombardy pastry:
• Cova Panettone: served year-round, a cloud of butter and candied fruit that has become iconic.
• Small Pastries: freshly filled cannoncini, berry tartlets, and the famous artisanal chocolates.
• L’Art de l’Infusion: a selection of fine teas served in fine china, accompanied by small cucumber and salmon sandwiches, for a British-Milanese-style tea ritual.
From Lunch to Aperitif
Cova CASABIANCA is also perfect for lunch or an aperitif:
• Mixology: many classic and more original cocktails that recall the scents of the villa’s garden (lavender, rosemary, cedar).
• The Savory Menu: saffron risotto, Milanese cutlets, salads, and club sandwiches for an international offering with a Milanese soul.
A “rationalist” living room immersed in an ideal dialogue with the works of Alighiero Boetti and Mario Merz. The experience is further enriched by Francesco Simeti’s large, site-specific floral installation, which envelops three walls, transforming them into a powerful visual landscape, and by artistic details such as the “artistic” chandelier designed by Flavio Favelli.
Each window frames a different portion of Lake Como, and the use of Como silk is omnipresent, expressed in contemporary textures and dusty colors (sage green, pearl gray, abyss blue) that blend with the surrounding landscape.
The magic of CASABIANCA lies in the beauty of a brass handle, the rarity of an art book in the library, or the perfection of an espresso served with a lake view.
The Secret
The De Santis family chose not to rely on a curator for the exhibition project, and the entire museum itinerary is the result of their taste, their history, and their vision, to create their own “home” open to the public.
Useful Info
CASABIANCA Como
Lungo Lario Trento 47
22100 Como
Tel. +39 031 5375035
For collection visits: info@casabiancacomo.com
To reserve a table at Cova
Casabianca: cova@casabiancacomo.com
Collection visit: full price ticket: €15
Cova Casabianca is accessible independently of the collection visit.
Breakfast menus: from €14
Coffees: from €5
Salads: from €24
Entrées: from €22
Afternoon Teas: from €45
Snacks: from €6.50
