Ivano Marino sports Italy's must have menswear at Villa Sola Cabiati

Among stucco walls and ceilings painted with glorious paradisal scenes, we explore Lake Como's most sumptuous interiors

BY William Buckley
Fashion, Lake como, Villa sola cabiati, Ivano marino, Brunello cucinelli, Missoni, Roberto Cavalli, Menswear, Dolce & Gabbana

The ‘Made in Italy’ appellative is something that country has rightful pride in. Italian mills produce some of the finest fabrics money can buy, and the heritage of garment construction, with traditional artisanal methods passed from generation to generation for a millennium, have secured cities like Milan, Naples, Florence and Rome as some of the most fashionable in the world. Historically, Saville Row may be the global HQ for tailored clothing (Fun fact: the Japanese word for a business suit is ‘sebiro’) but with brands like Brunello Cucinelli, Salvatore Ferragamo and Giorgio Armani, it could be argued that Italy has assumed that mantle.

Villa Sola Cabiati Ivano MarinoThe Italian console is from the 18th century with original lamps from the same period. Marino wears: Salvatore Ferragamo jacket,  t-shirt and shoes; Loro Piana joggers


Where better then, to showcase Italian excellence in men’s fashion design than in Italy? Lake Como is a stone’s throw from Milan, lined with villas that illustrate Italy’s history. Villa Sola Cabiati sits quietly behind towering black and gold iron gates that open onto a vast courtyard featuring sprawling geoglyphic deer’s head parterres only discernible from the balcony above. It’s been there for centuries, first built in the 16th, but transformed into this breathtakingly opulent holiday home by the Duke of Serbelloni in the 18th. Aristocrats and other well-to-do luminaries have been building abodes on the shores of the lago since Roman times, charmed by the region’s natural beauty and a subtropical microclimate, but none exhibit such sumptuous decor at this.

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Villa Sola Cabiati Ivano MarinoAntonio Grimaldi suit and shirt; Corneliani shoes

The stucco walls and ceilings here are painted variously with glorious paradisal scenes of cherubs and such bouncing about in the clouds, and trompe l’oeil doorways and vast pillars thrusting upwards towards more painted skies. The ancient family’s original furnishings are found throughout the house, but upstairs, if you ask, the butler will unlock the doors of a private museum, featuring original interiors from the family’s palazzo in Milan. Napoleon Bonaparte’s hat sits self-assured on a chair by a heavily ornamented canopy bed, and quixotic tales of an Italian countess and her suitors are regaled by the butler.


Villa Sola Cabiati Ivano MarinoBoglioli jacket and trousers; Tagliatore knit;  Corneliani scarf;   Fratelli Rossetti shoes

The villa, which can accommodate up to 12 guests in six bedrooms and is managed by the nearby Hotel Tremezzo, also has vast gardens and two heated swimming pools behind it, perfect for either large events or, in the words of the butler, a more intimate ‘chicnic’. There is a dedicated chef, and guests of the villa also have access to a private ferry service both to and from the Hotel Tremezzo, where additional 5-star luxuries such as a full service spa, four restaurants and more swimming pools await. 

READ: These fashion designers started out as architects

Villa Sola Cabiati Ivano MarinoBottega Veneta sweater, t-shirt and trousers; Doucal’s shoes


Villa Sola Cabiati Ivano MarinoBrunello Cucinelli tuxedo, shirt, bow tie and cummerbund; Carlo Pignatelli shoes


Villa Sola Cabiati Ivano MarinoDolce & Gabbana evening suit



Styling by Allison Fullin; styling assistant, Rocco Nereo Masi; grooming by Federica Pisu; special thanks to Antonio Frascadore