A weekend by Lake Como

A visual diary of our trip, plus a newly-opened restaurant that you must add to your visit-list and my recent homeware and style finds

Sep 21, 2023

Hello friends,

You might have noticed that you didn’t receive a newsletter from me last week. I hurt my back rather badly trying to lift up our lit coffre (a lift up storage bed), to get a bag of clothes out and I felt something twang or click out of place. It was excruciatingly painful and put me out of action for a few days. Thankfully I’m now on the mend and I’ve just come back from a glorious weekend by Lake Como, which as you might imagine, helped raise my spirits (in addition to the extra strong anti-inflammatory meds the doctor prescribed for me).

I’m now at home in Paris, and while it is still warmish, there’s certainly been a shift in the air. It feels a little cooler, a little breezier; the trees outside our bedroom window have shed more leaves, coating the ground with a crunchy layer and what’s left are turning burnt orange. But before I dive into Autumn, which officially starts on Saturday (where did this year go?), I’m still holding onto summer on my Instagram and my website, where you can see a visual diary of our trip (click below or here).

I was invited to stay at Villa Làrio, which is an incredibly special place that’s situated right on the edge of Lake Como (for those of you who love a bit of trivia, it’s also located opposite George Clooney’s lakeside house). It’s one of the most beautiful properties that I’ve been lucky enough to stay in, with panoramic views of the lake and nearby villages, and where every detail from the interiors and pool, to the dining experience has been thoughtfully designed to make the most of the breathtaking vistas. We also had a bit of time to explore the lake and stumbled on the newly-opened restaurant, Insolito, which I would go as far as to say, was one of the best meals I have ever eaten (you can see photos here).

Watching, reading, listening, enjoying….

We started watching Painkiller last week (weirdly the night before I hurt my back), which is gruesome at times and hard to watch, but fascinating and gripping (I love biographical series and films). I’ve also just finished binge-watching the new series of Virgin River, which I find a little too predictable and weepy at times, but it’s such an easy, comforting watch and the scenary in the series is spectacular; it has me daydreaming about moving to a sleepy town by a river, with mountain views, and where everyone knows my name…

I’ve also been reading Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, which I’ve had on my bookshelf for a good four years (I think I picked it up during my last trip to the US, as it’s an American edition). It’s well written and quite additive (you want to know what happens to the characters), but I can’t help but think it’s missing something (I can’t put my finger on it just yet), although maybe I’m just more seduced by historical dramas than family sagas these days. Have you read it?

Marissa xx

A WEEKEND BY LAKE COMO: A VISUAL DIARY