Hotel Ristorante Villa Crespi, Orta San Giulio

A floodlit minaret rises out of the larch woods that run down to Lake Orta. Ornately carved in the Islamic style, Villa Crespi is a 19th-century folly, a Knights* palace, built by Cristoforo Benigno Crespi, a successful cotton trader whose business took him to Persia. Seduced by the charms of the orient, he built the villa of his dreams, filling it with richly carved, Moorish columns, capitals and archways, intricately patterned floors and frescoed ceilings. In the 1930s, royalty, industrialists, poets and artists were all entertained here. Following major restoration, Villa Crespi opened as a luxury hotel and restaurant, the rich interiors providing the setting for luxurious four-poster bedrooms hung with 19th-century paintings. The acclaimed Mediterranean cuisine is matched by a list of French and Italian wines. There is also Shiro, a spa in which to relax. Hotel and restaurant are closed during January until February 13.