Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Hotel San Rocco, Lake Orta
Facts in brief
Official star rating 4
Location On the banks of Lake Orta
Annual opening 13 March to 31 December
Closest airport Milan Malpensa
Distance from airport The hotel is about 50-minutes' from Milan Malpensa Airport
Closest railway station Milan Central Station
Distance from railway station The hotel is about 90-minutes' drive from Milan Central Station
Hotel facilities and services
Outdoor Swimming Pool (mid-June to mid-September), Bar Service at the pool, Direct access to the lake for swimming, Bicycle Hire, Sauna, Massage, Lift, Parking available in hotel garage (chargeable), Room Service.
Out and about nearby
Mediaeval town of Orta, Boat trips, Lake Maggiore, Monte Rosa massif, Sacro Monte of Orta (UNESCO World Heritage site), Isle of San Giulio, Markets.
Sports nearby
Tennis, Fishing, Riding, Watersports.
We particularly loved the Hotel del Sogno on Lake Garda for its character, beauty and amazing views. Great service too from the reception staff. Also they gave us great recommendations for restaurants.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double room with village view for 7 nights
From about
£1,250
Holiday Code IE31
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Hotel San Rocco, Lake Orta
The Hotel San Rocco enjoys a splendid location in the glorious village of Orta San Giulio, on the banks of the small but picturesque and less well-known lake of Orta, the most westerly of the northern Italian lakes. The traffic-free centre of the village with its piazza, waterfront, cafes, restaurants and picturesque houses is about 5 minutes' walk from the hotel. Once a convent, the San Rocco is now a 4-star hotel and is open all year round. The Hotel San Rocco now consists of three interconnected buildings, with the most recent being the Villa Gippina, dating back to the 17th Century and now housing ten rooms and one suite . The superior rooms are the larger and newer ones with lake view and usually with balcony as well, and all rooms are comfortably furnished. The restaurant is light and airy and on the first floor of the hotel, affording marvellous views of the lake. On the ground floor, also overlooking the lake, is a lounge and bar, which during the summer months sometimes doubles as a piano bar in the evenings. Other great features of the Hotel San Rocco are the garden terrace which leads right to the water's edge and the panoramic outdoor swimming pool. The Hotel San Rocco has quite extensive seminar facilities and does hold seminars at different times throughout the year as well as being popular as a wedding venue.
Room descriptions
Hotel San Rocco has 80 rooms with bath or shower and wc, satellite television, radio, telephone, mini-bar and safe.
We particularly loved the Hotel del Sogno on Lake Garda for its character, beauty and amazing views. Great service too from the reception staff. Also they gave us great recommendations for restaurants.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double room with village view for 7 nights
From about
£1,250
Holiday Code IE31
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Hotel San Rocco, Lake Orta
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to Hotel San Rocco on Lake Orta, our clients usually fly to Milan Malpensa airport or arrive by train at Milan Centrale railway station. From the airport and the station, we recommend a private car transfer which we would include in our holiday price, or we recommend that you use a hire-car for the duration of your holiday, especially if you want to tour the region. We will arrange this for you if required.
Special offers
Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.
We particularly loved the Hotel del Sogno on Lake Garda for its character, beauty and amazing views. Great service too from the reception staff. Also they gave us great recommendations for restaurants.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double room with village view for 7 nights
From about
£1,250
Holiday Code IE31
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Hotel San Rocco, Lake Orta
About Italian Lakes
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to the Italian Lakes spans the northern Italian regions of Lombardy, Piemonte and the Veneto. We offer hotels located by the undisputedly beautiful Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Garda and also the smaller, quieter lakes of Orta and Iseo, both well-worth exploring in their own right. Each lake has its own character and atmosphere, distinctive terrain, architecture and style. Placed as the lakes are to the south of the Alps and to the north of the Po Valley, they naturally possess a charming mixture of the vibrant coolness associated with the Alps but enlivened by the warmth of the South. The landscape around the Italian Lakes is one of deep blue waters surrounded by greenish-blue tinged mountains, often snow-capped. On the shores of the lakes and the lower slopes of the hills you find a profusion of lemons and olives, chestnuts and palms, magnolias and camellias. Pretty villages with rustic stone and wood houses hug the sheltered bays and fishing boats still moor next to sailing boats. Wrought-iron balconies and colourful shutters adorn gaily-painted houses with terracotta roofs. Dining is usually al fresco in the summer months and a magical atmosphere is created with the lapping of the waters and the twinkling of the lights around the lake and in the hills above. The close proximity to Milan and Verona as well as other less well-known but artistically interesting cities means that you can visit the Italian Lakes quite easily for just a weekend or short break as well as a longer holiday. The Italian Lakes can all be visited as part of a rail holiday, and the many beautiful gardens located in the vicinity of Lakes Como and Maggiore are well worth a visit as part of a garden tour holiday. Our favourite four and five star hotels for luxury holidays in the Italian Lakes include Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni and Villa d'Este on Lake Como, and the Hotel Cannero Lakeside Resort on Lake Maggiore.
Highlights of the Italian Lakes
Historic villas are to be found on every lake from the Grotte di Catullo Roman villa at Sirmione on Lake Garda to Villa Melzi and Villa Olmo on Lake Como and the Palazzo Estense in Varese. Most of these villas also have extraordinarily beautiful gardens (which can be visited as part of an Expressions Garden Tour holiday) such as the Villa Carlotta on Lake Como, the Isola Bella in Lake Maggiore and Villa Taranto at Punta della Castagnola on Lake Maggiore. Monte Mottarone above Stresa on Lake Maggiore and Monte Baldo above Lake Garda can both be reached by cable car and afford spectacular views. At Gargnano on Lake Garda you can see the stone pavilions where lemons were traditionally cultivated. Within the region there are national parks such as the Stelvio National Park north of Orta and the Parco Nazionale della Val Grande above Verbania on Lake Maggiore.
Cultural highlights of the Italian Lakes
Much of the artistic and architectural cultural wealth in the region is concentrated in the great cities such as Milan and Verona but also in the less well-known but culturally-rich centres of Bergamo, Brescia, Pavia, Mantova and Vicenza (not directly on the Lakes but within reach for a day`s excursion). Highlights include the frescoes by Masolino at Castiglione Olona, the Rocca (castle) at Angera, the Flemish tapestries on the Isola Bella Lake Maggiore, the marble cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore at Como and the works of art in the Galleria dell`Accademia Tadini at Lovere on Lake Iseo. Milan has La Scala, the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, the Brera Gallery (containing Raphael`s `Marriage of the Virgin` and the Montefeltro altarpiece by Piero della Francesca) and its Gothic cathedral. Verona has its annual opera festival from June until the end of August, the Romanesque church of San Zeno, the Renaissance Loggia del Consiglio and the Roman Arena.
Festivals in the Italian Lakes
The Verona Opera Festival takes place in the Roman Arena every year with performances running from June until the end of August. Verona also celebrates Carnival every year culminating on the Friday before Shrove Tuesday. Como holds a flea market, the Fiera di Pasqua, over the Easter weekend. Music festivals take place in Bergamo throughout the year. The Mille Miglia veteran car race starts and ends in Brescia (via Ferrara to Rome in May each year).
Gastronomy in the Italian Lakes
The cuisine of northern Italy tends to contain more meat and butter than further south and rice and polenta compete with pasta. Saffron is used extensively as in Risotto alla Milanese. Bresaola is cured raw beef served as an antipasta (now often with rocket and parmesan). Manzo al Barolo (beef in Barolo wine), Costolette alla Milanese (veal cutlets in breadcrumbs) and Ossobucco (veal in wine and tomatoes) are all popular dishes. Panettone cake and Zabaglione are two regional desserts. This region produces some of Italy's most famous cheeses such as Gorgonzola, Bel Paese, Fontina and Taleggio as well as some of Italy's most exportable wines such as Soave, Bardolino and Valpolicella. Less well known but interesting wines are produced in the Valtellina in the north of Lombardy and in Franciacorta near Lake Iseo.
