Surrounded by a shady 18th-century park, the Hotel comes slowly into view as you approach from an avenue flanked by majestic pines.

An historic patrician villa that still exudes the splendour of the 18th century, is just a few kilometres from Varese, Lake Maggiore and the Swiss border, and is also within easy reach of the new Milan trade fair facilities and Malpensa Airport.

The Hotel also has an exotic soul, as did Count Gian Pietro, the adventurous 18th-century explorer: it is he who inspired the hotel's extraordinary antique Oriental decor. Chinese furniture, Thai woodcarvings and Balinese marquetry are set against the rich Baroque backdrop of the hotel like echoes of the Far East.

Whether strolling among the antique statuary and sculpted hedges of the Italian garden, walking beneath the antique coffered ceiling or ascending the grand staircase surmounted by the family coat of arms, at this magnificent Hotel you cannot but succumb to the fascination of a place suspended in time.

The history of this luxury Hotel started when the aristocratic Porro family came to Induno Olona in the 16th century. From then on, the original buildings of the villa were expanded until it became the splendid example of 18th century art and architecture that it still is today. A number of illustrious names run through the dynasty, most notably that of the Conte Gian Pietro Porro, an intrepid adventurous explorer whose travels provided the inspiration for the villa's Oriental furnishings.