Historical Notes

Villa and Palazzo Aminta is not only an elegant gem set in the green mountains of northern Italy, but a jewellery box full of memories ready to unfold with the slightest touch.

Initially built as the personal residence of the Admiral of the Royal Navy Francesco Capece, the hotel still bears the name of his dear, beloved wife Aminta. In 1918, the Admiral, in love with the gentle contours of the landscape of the lake, decided to lay the foundations for his refined home on these green slopes.

In the decades that passed, numerous representatives of the Belle Epoque walked through the halls of what was then Admiral Capece's residence.

In 1926, Paolo Troubetzkoy, a great artist with Russian origins, born in the nearby Intra, made a sculpture to his friend, the Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, who visited Lake Maggiore as a guest of the Admiral and his wife, and was captivated by the incredibly beautiful landscape.

In more recent years, in 1966, Liz Taylor and Richard Burton chose Villa Aminta for one of their countless romantic getaways.

Still today, Villa & Palazzo Aminta maintains this innate family spirit that seems to be embodied in every stone used to build it. While walking slowly through its lavish rooms and its rich corridors you can clearly perceive its warm and reassuring soul. The Villa has been extended and embellished with antique furniture, stuccoes, chandeliers, precious tapestries, arabesques and oriental-style volutes, paying tribute to the historical relationship with the Republic of Venice “Gateway to the East”.

The Zanetta family has skilfully restored the building to its original splendour, recreating a fairy-tale charm and carrying out an accurate renovation where elegance and classical character blend with the most modern and advanced technological standards, generating a union of simplicity and freshness in every one of the Hotel's rooms. It is a luxury hotel, surrounded by flowering azaleas and delicate fragrances, the concept of which, in typical Italian style, reflects Beatrice and Roberto Zanetta's refined sensitivity with regard to art and a taste for refinement.