Il Sereno

Floor-to-ceiling glass and Patricia Urquiola's interiors face the eastern shore, where Il Sereno sits among Lake Como's old money mansions looking conspicuously, deliberately modern. It's a boutique luxury hotel with 40 suites, a 60-foot infinity pool, a boathouse converted into a spa, and a waterfront restaurant that holds a Michelin star. The kind of place where the lake does half the decorating, and the design team handles the rest.