On Lake Como, there’s a grand restaurant born inside an old boathouse

The landscape of Lake Como is dotted with beautiful historic villas, and few contemporary buildings stand out. One of these is the hotel Il Sereno, which rose from the foundations of an old boathouse, preserving its grey stone arches and the small boat shelter.

The project—like the interiors and furnishings—was entrusted to Patricia Urquiola, a distinguished Spanish architect who trained alongside illustrious names such as Achille Castiglioni and Vico Magistretti. Just a few days ago, Patricia Urquiola was awarded the 2025 National Design Prize for Lifetime Achievement by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities for “an exceptional career that has transformed contemporary design,” as the official statement reads.

Inside the hotel sits the perfectly integrated restaurant Il Sereno al Lago, led since 2016 by chef Raffaele Lenzi and awarded a Michelin star in 2017. The dining room opens directly onto the water, and the tables beside the pillars enjoy a unique view of the lake—once reserved for boats being hauled ashore. This meeting of stone and wood, balancing between old and new, is the backdrop for Raffaele Lenzi’s cuisine: essential, concrete and light.

The cuisine

Guests from around the world are offered a choice of three tasting menus:
“Homage to Tradition”—five symbolic Italian dishes reinterpreted in a modern key;
“My Way”—a selection of seven courses created by the chef, representing his international experiences with a solid Italian foundation;
and finally “Vegetables, Tubers and Roots”—entirely dedicated to the plant-based world.

In the “My Way” menu, Raffaele Lenzi expresses a personal vision of cuisine with dishes born from blends of different cultures, Eastern influences, and flawless execution. He shows a particularly skilful hand with vegetable dishes, such as dosa—a small Indian crêpe—filled with baba ganoush and fermented plum, or the cream of courgettes with char and goat’s milk kefir, perfectly balanced and enveloping, and the BBQ zolfino bean tempeh mimicking the texture and aroma of pork ribs.

Fish dishes are also present, such as the “Lavarello à la plancha with cassoela reduction” where the firm, white meat of freshwater fish is paired with a meat-based jus that enhances its flavour—a rare meat-and-fish combination in traditional cuisine, but delicious and playful when executed with skill.

This playful spirit reveals itself in the finale with the “Fiesta” — a luxurious (and slightly cheeky) reinterpretation of the chocolate and curaçao snack cake that was all the rage in the 1980s.

Another strong point of the restaurant is its wine list, curated by sommelier Francesco Martinello, offering over 800 labels. Italy is well represented with both prestigious names and small artisanal producers, alongside an impressive French selection featuring prestigious Champagne houses and many independent vignerons.

À la carte breakfast

If dinner is excellent, breakfast is unmissable. Forget the typical lavish buffet: here, dishes are made to order according to guests’ preferences—omelettes, toast, cured meats, pancakes, and above all the Eggs Benedict, the true highlight of Sereno’s breakfast, executed to perfection and served by attentive, kind staff—both in the morning and at dinner.

Accompanying the dishes from the kitchen is the dessert trolley, offering various specialties—La Nuvola, a typical Como sweet created by Beretta bakery, comes highly recommended—as well as pastries, bread, butter, jams and fresh fruit. It’s the best way to start the day before diving into the infinity pool overlooking the lake or setting off on a boat ride provided by the hotel.

The hotel and the restaurant share the same atmosphere of understated elegance and luxury, where nothing is ostentatious but everything is designed to quietly surprise. It’s a rare balance made of details that don’t steal the spotlight but enhance it: a world where design, nature, and creativity come together in an experience of rare coherence.