Villa Cortine

The Romans kept a garrison on this hill, a hundred metres or so back from the tip of the Sirmione peninsula, and the hill has kept the name: Cortine comes from cortes, a place of defence. The villa holding it now is late 19th century, and was once called Villa von Koseritz, after the count it was built for. Its front is a temple portico two storeys high, stone columns ringed with dark bands carrying a balustraded loggia under a pediment. Around it are five hectares of park, centuries-old trees and antique statues among the fountains, and rising out of the cypresses a crenellated stone tower, in case the garrison is ever needed again. The rooms are bolder than the facade: in one, teal walls and a teal and charcoal chevron at the windows, which open onto a balcony over the lake. The top category is the Exclusive with Mini Pool, Terrace and Panoramic View, which leaves a description little to do: the mini pool is a hot tub out on the terrace, above the treetops.

Recommended for couples, and for families who can do without a kids' club: there are connecting rooms and family suites, and babysitting to book. The lake is down at the jetty, 500 square metres of timber decking with white loungers and parasols in rows along both rails, and Al Molo on the same jetty, grilling meat and fish over an open fire. There is a clay tennis court, with the kit provided. On foot, the Scaligero Castle is five minutes away and the Grotte di Catullo, the Roman ruins at the peninsula's tip, eight; the hotel has no spa, but Centro Aquaria is a minute's walk. The count, meanwhile, has kept the bar: Koseritz, in the halls of the old villa opposite the colonnade, pours its cocktails with charcuterie and tartare.