Two glass pavilions set atop a nineteenth-century Liberty-style palace on the northern shore of Lake Garda — that architectural collision is the central argument of Lido Palace, and it works with a conviction that most adaptive reuse projects never achieve. The Riva del Garda property, a grand lakeside institution dating to 1899, was transformed by architect Matteo Thun in a renovation completed in 2013 that added the glazed penthouse volumes without apology, their reflective curtain walls throwing the Dolomite escarpment back at itself while the cream limestone facade below continues its classical rhythm of arched windows and cornice lines. Thun's interior language runs cool and graphic throughout the new accommodation: dark resin floors, full-height glazing wrapping the upper-floor suites on multiple sides, and headboards in lacquered crimson or teal that provide the only strong chromatic punctuation against an otherwise monochromatic palette of charcoal and white. The restaurant sits within the glass connector linking the two historic wings, its wide-plank iroko timber floors and bronzed concrete ceiling framing unobstructed views across the park and lake beyond. At the pool terrace, a sinuous Corten-and-concrete canopy curves over the water's edge — sculptural rather than structural in feeling, more Hadid than hotel — its underside lit warmly against the blue dusk of the Garda mountains. The 64 rooms carry throughout a discipline that resists lakeside sentimentality entirely.

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In a spectacular location on Lake Garda, Lido Palace is a stunning Belle Époque building, set within 19th-century gardens filled with fragrant cypress, cedar and magnolia trees. It impresses with contemporary interior design which epitomizes chic modernity. The rooms are modern, wide and bright spaces taking advantage of the contrast between the minimal style of the interiors and the romantic view on Lake Garda. The 1,500 sqm CXI Spa offers a collection of globetrotting treatments, including a Finnish sauna, Mediterranean bath and Indian massages. Tremani bistrot is the hotel's more laid-back lunchtime eatery offering healthy imaginative meals. For intimate evening meals, Il Re della Busa is decadent and distinguished, with exquisitely rendered morsels of haute cuisine in sleek designer surroundings and backlit views of the grounds. The restaurant overlooks the gardens, which are a mix of manicured lawns and forested foothills, grab a seat by the window to gaze upon them as you eat.