Long before George Clooney arrived, glitterati flocked to Lake Como, a paragon of nature at its finest. Pleasure seekers aplenty came to its shores, many taking repose at the extraordinary villas dotting the shores. One of those grand homes, Passalacqua, has hosted the likes of Winston Churchill and Napoleon Bonaparte. Now assiduously restored, it welcomes guests as a 24-suite hotel. Embellished with frescoes, hand-blown glass chandeliers and artwork, it sums up Italian Baroque at its finest. The 2,700-sq-ft Bellini Suite includes a music room where the 19th-century composer Vincenzo Bellini wrote some of his most famous works. With lake vistas and ornate interiors, it boasts an ethereal Murano chandelier, the centerpiece of a soaring vaulted ceiling.