Musa, Luxurious Lake Como Even in Winter: The Hotel for Every Season

An exclusive location on Lake Como, suspended between land, water, and sky, where the elegance of spaces and the beauty of the landscape meet the best of fine dining cuisine.

A new luxury concept with a view of Lario

Opened just over a year ago, Musa brand brings a new "luxury" concept to the shores of Italy's most famous blue mirror, designed for those who want to experience an exclusive and unforgettable stay in elegance, relaxation, and good cuisine.

The establishment, owned by the English Gray family, who have been investing in the hospitality sector since 37 years, extends between Sala Comacina, where the Musa luxury boutique hotel (5 stars) with 12 rooms is located directly overlooking the homonymous island (the only one on the lake), and Tramezzina (in the small town of Mezzagra), where Villa Musa is located, a luxurious private residence (with 6 bedrooms, infinity pool with jacuzzi, bar area, cinema, and game room, plus a range of personalized services such as a private chef, waiters, yoga lessons, and massages) which is rented weekly to those who want to spend time in absolute relax and privacy.

Both solutions express a concept of "tailor-made" and sophisticated hospitality, yet welcoming, modern, and perfectly integrated with the surrounding landscape. The customer can not only choose from different types of accommodation but also enjoy some common spaces designed to transform breaks into a real "experience": these include the pool, the solarium, and the outdoor gym, as well as indoor relaxation areas and the lounge area on the terrace, dominated by large windows that create a sense of continuity between inside and outside.

For the hotel and the villa, as well as for all shared spaces, the décor features natural tones and materials (from the fabrics of the seats to the marble cladding, to the wooden floors, and the bronze accessories), skillfully mixed in a sober and "elegant" design signed by the Claudia Kempen Concept studio.

Zero-mile gastronomy excellence

One of Musa's fundamental values is culinary excellence, expressed both in the fine dining restaurant and in the cocktail bar located on the ground floor of the hotel.

Leading the way are Robert Moretti and Matteo Corridori, two executive chefs both born and raised on Lake Como who, after almost 10 years abroad, in some of the world's most prestigious kitchens (such as the Country Club hotel, Stoke Park Hotel, and Hélène Darroze at the Connaught in England, or the Bulgari Hotel in Dubai led by Niko Romito), have decided to return to their homeland and apply their passion and experience to local cuisine, using seasonal products from the region, processed with the most innovative techniques learned internationally.

The result of this shared vision has materialized in the Roteo Restaurant (45 seats), which is expressed from the signage (a fusion of the names of the two chefs). Here, every day, a young, dynamic, and contemporary gourmet cuisine takes shape, with a simple, clean, and elegant style, consistent with the minimal setting of the environment and mise en place, but also in line with the foreign influences experienced by the chefs and brought by the collaboration with an international team.

The restaurant: a menu for every occasion 

The gastronomic offering at Roteo is seasonal and articulated in different paths designed for every moment of the day, as well as for specific weekly appointments. The breakfast menu includes the most classic items of the continental breakfast and more: a list of coffee drinks, teas and infusions, extracts, juices, smoothies, and fruit nectars to accompany fresh or toasted bread, fruit, yogurt, muesli, granola, brioches, and muffins, pancakes, waffles, bagels, and porridge; plus a selection of eggs in various preparations.

The lunch menu is exclusively à la carte and includes 12 proposals (3 appetizers, 3 first courses, 3 main courses, and 3 desserts) ranging from meat to fish, to vegetarian recipes, to satisfy all palates.

For dinner, in addition to choosing freely from the menu, it is possible to opt for one of the 3 tasting menus: "Roteo" (€115 per person + €60 for wine pairing), "Neither meat nor fish" (€120 per person + €60 for wine pairing), and the brand new "Aqva" (€135 per person + €90 for wine pairing).

The first offers the signature dishes of the Chefs who have represented Musa the most (Foie gras terrine, 24-month Parmigiano ice cream, raspberries; handmade spaghetti selection "Vicidomini", miso, butter, anchovy sauce, Timut pepper; roasted pork Coppino with apple cider, rhubarb, zucchini and its flower, pikeperch, licorice, lake beurre blanc, and creamy yoghurt, orange, fennel ice cream, Beluga caviar).

For those who don't know or don't want to choose between meat and fish, there is a hybrid offering, where the Shabu-shabu of cuttlefish in oriental beef broth and the Eel cooked in "Yakitori" with N'duja, yuzu buttermilk, and agretti meet roasted chicken buttons, red Mazara shrimp, "red gold" saffron, and Parmigiano foam and lamb loin in the pan, its reduction, sardine cream in saor, chard).

Finally, "Aqva" is the real feature of this fall: a menu entirely devoted to fish and at times deliberately "irreverent", both for the inclination to welcome exotic ingredients (such as ceviche water in the Oyster or coconut in the Squid), and for the names of the dishes themselves, provocative but with an intent of ethical thinking (Pollution: shellfish and "plastic"), up to unusual preparations or pairings (from Shrimp with puttanesca to Cod with citrus and katsuobushi, up to Seaweed with diplomat cream and caramelized honey).

The Lounge Bar

Right next to the restaurant, in the lounge area on the outdoor veranda, with an extension on the terrace and on the cobblestone overlooking the water, there is Gaia, the cocktail bar managed by Bar Manager Edoardo Felsini. A welcoming environment where a modern and fresh concept of mixology takes shape, where the service manages to enhance the product quality by transforming each drink into an experience. Here, at any time of the day, you can enjoy refined cocktails, with new and bold flavors, surprising colorful nuances, and textures as dense or soft as clouds, as well as more classic ones, with a strong attachment to tradition.

Moreover, even in this context, there is no lack of pairing with excellent food: the Bar Menu includes pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and a selection of dishes based on the best national and international ingredients, as well as finger food (including the standout Steamed Bao, marinated red Mazara shrimp, spring onion, chilly, crispy rice, veal bone marrow, lemon, which represents a reinterpretation in amuse-bouche version of the typical "Risotto alla Milanese", Eastern-style Oysters, and Corn tacos with trout ceviche, avocado, and sweet and sour onion), to be enjoyed in the splendid winter garden or, when the weather permits, on the new exclusive "tasting table" available since last summer: a solid mahogany boat model Villa D'Este, handmade in 1958 by shipwrights under the guidance of Guido Abbate, provided by Tullio Abbate shipyard (symbol of the lakeside entrepreneurial spirit).

After restoration, this historical piece has transformed into an exclusive counter with an incorporated DJ set on which, in the summer, up to 14 customers can experience the truly surprising taste experience of Musa's cocktail bar, with the perfect sensation of being truly suspended on the water. In addition, another feature of this year is the Sunday brunch appointment (from 12:00 to 3:00 pm): the perfect opportunity to spend a few hours by the lake with live music accompaniment and taste a selection of delicacies prepared by the Chefs (Eggs on toast, horseradish guacamole, salmon trout, saffron hollandaise; Croque Monsieur with Culatello and white truffle but also salads, burgers, tapas, as well as some dishes present among the items on the lunch menu).

The drink list

To accompany Roteo’s dishes, there is an impressive Wine list, which includes labels from all regions of Italy, both historical vintages and younger bottles, as well as from various areas of France, Germany, California, and Australia, as well as a selection of sparkling wines and muscats for a sweet ending to the meal. Also noteworthy is the Water Menu, which offers the customer the opportunity to choose from various types of water, opting for mineral, oligomineral, or minimally mineralized, according to their taste and needs.

Regarding the cocktail side, since last July, in addition to the inevitable classics of mixology, Gaia has added a selection of drinks dedicated to some famous women (from Joan of Arc to Virginia Woolf and Coco Chanel, from Marie Curie to Rita Levi Montalcini, from Margaret Thatcher to Queen Elizabeth), who have had the merit of leaving their mark in their respective fields and inspiring a change in history. As true Muses.

The charm of the lake even in winter

In the cold season, Musa's charm does not diminish, and the lounge area becomes the ideal place to pamper yourself and rediscover the ritual of Tea Time: an afternoon convivial moment, where you can taste a selection of fine teas, high pastry, and/or a glass of sparkling wine. The added bonus? Every customer can read a book left by others and leave their own, which will become part of the small Musa library and accompany other guests during the precious moments of relaxation experienced in this magical place.

Additional experiences

In a strategic position between the lake and the mountains, Musa can be the strategic place from which to explore the surrounding area. To do this, you can take part in a private boat tour to experience the lake from its most natural perspective (the water) and discover the most unique naturalistic views that cannot be seen from the land. The experience is worth living both in summer and winter when the charm of the lake is added to the customer's pampering during the navigation (such as a blanket and a hot tea with biscuits) and the fairy-tale atmosphere of the Christmas markets in Cernobbio (the "City of Toys"), among the most scenic and suggestive in Europe.

Alternatively, for mountain lovers, there is the possibility of heading to Bormio, in the heart of Alta Valtellina: a ski resort that offers the best slopes in the Alps, from the top to the valley floor, and descents for all tastes. The hotel staff will take care of everything: from the transfer (by car or helicopter) to equipment rental, from the Ski Pass to the aperitif at Be White Après Ski & Restaurant.

In a nutshell, whether it's a gourmet experience for a few hours or a stay of several days, in every season of the year, Musa allows you to experience a journey that satisfies all needs and involves all senses: one is drawn in by the silence and calmness of this piece of paradise, touch and smell become the main protagonists of many wellness treatments offered by the establishment, while sight is captured first by the landscape and then by the aesthetics of the details that from the furnishings are found in the dishes, responsible to satisfy the palate as well. The goal remains to intrigue and excite, realizing the motto "thinking out of the box" embraced by the young chefs leading the establishment: "thinking outside the box" to create something different. Exclusive. Beautiful.