A Love Letter to Lake Como
Get ready to dive into the world of a place where dreams come true! Don’t miss the chance to upgrade your Assouline’s book collection and hurry to get your copy of Passalacqua, a Love Letter to Lake Como.
We are excited to tell you the story of Valentina De Santis and her family, who are the Guardians of a unique art, that of the most refined hospitality. Passalacqua has been awarded as Best Hotel by “The World’s 50 Best Hotels” of 2023.
We are already familiar with the other co-authors of this wonderful book: the fascinating creative couple Daria Reina and Andrea Ferolla, souls of Chez Dede, magical boutique in Rome. We had the chance to interview them on Orlando Issue IV and we are happy to call them friends!
Antonella Dellepiane Pescetto had the opportunity to interview both Valentina De Santis and her fellow authors Daria Reina and Andrea Ferolla. Both interviews are presented below.
Antonella Dellepiane Pescetto: Mom and entrepeneur. How do your children experience the world of the hotel?
Valentina De Santis: My children experience the world of hotels with a sense of wonder that moves me every time. For them, hotels are like enchanted houses, full of discoveries and adventures, where every corner hides a little magic and anything can happen.
Maria, for example, loves our hens at Passalacqua, knows each one by name, calls them individually, and takes care of them with incredible tenderness. Paolo, on the other hand, enjoys walking through the park at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo until he reaches our Bobo, a little ritual of his own that makes him happy and serene.
A.D.P : Can you manage work and family with balance?
V.D.S : Living family and work as a single adventure is a beautiful challenge.
Of course, it requires balance, because often the boundaries blur: a Sunday lunch can become an impromptu creative meeting, and a walk along the lake can turn into a conversation about a new project.
But it is precisely this intertwining of life and passion that makes everything so special. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
A.D.P : What do you miss or wish you could do more of?
V.D.S : I must say that, at this moment, I truly lack nothing. I am deeply grateful and satisfied with what we have built over the past years. I am fortunate to have an extraordinary team, a family I love immensely, and two wonderful children who give meaning to everything I do.
Today, my greatest desire is not to “do more,” but to continue improving what already exists: refining the details, cherishing this beauty, and continuing to nurture it.
A.D.P : Wonder is an aspect you aim to spark in your guests. What elements do you seek to create this enchantment?
V.D.S : As often happens in life, it’s the little things that make a place truly special, and this perfectly reflects our idea of a holiday as a celebration of simple pleasures.
It could be a quiet moment in one of the hidden corners of our garden, perhaps under the shade of an ancient tree, or next to one of the fifteen fountains that animate the park with their gentle murmur.
It could be collecting fresh eggs from the henhouse or tasting sun-ripened kiwi and tomatoes straight from the plant.
Once guests manage to look away from the breathtaking views of Lake Como, they can enjoy a game of bocce, much loved around here, or play a match of tennis. They can freely enter the kitchens to peek at what’s cooking, join a guided wine tasting in our cellar, or get lost among the charming streets of the village of Moltrasio.
After all, what more could one need?
A.D.P : What surprises you in everyday life?
V.D.S : Waking up every day, opening the window, and being able to admire the endless beauty of Lake Como. It is so irresistible that it becomes hard to imagine life without this view.
A.D.P : What is it like to live and work in a family context? Lights and shadows?
V.D.S : Working with family is wonderful, and at times very demanding. There is no real boundary between work and everyday life: everything intertwines, mixes, and feeds off each other. What I do is not just a profession; it is part of me, my emotions, my memories, the people I love, and every day I live.
Sometimes this entails sacrifices, like giving up some time with my children, and it is not always easy.
A.D.P : We know you dislike conflict, don’t usually cause it, and feel uneasy when facing it with people you care about. How do you manage conflict in family or work?
V.D.S : It’s true, I don’t like conflict, but I love expressing what I think. I strongly believe in dialogue, because the best ideas often arise from honest exchanges. When tension arises, I always try to turn it into an opportunity for improvement. Often, it is precisely differences that generate the strongest insights.
A.D.P : What kind of books do you prefer? What art inspires you?
V.D.S : I love contemporary art, a great passion passed down from my parents. As for reading, I have always been an avid reader and love losing myself in any book that inspires me. I don’t have a preferred genre; I choose instinctively, often based on the cover, without too many rules.
A.D.P : How was the creation of this book with two other family realities from the world of culture: the Assouline family and Daria Reina and Andrea Feralla?
V.D.S : Our vision was simple: we wanted the reader to experience the same sense of wonder one feels when stepping into Passalacqua. Not just breathtaking views and scenic moments, but also the most intimate details, fleeting impressions, those suspended moments that make this place so authentic and unique.
The book was born from a deep friendship with Daria and Andrea, who managed to give voice to the soul of Passalacqua. What makes their work truly extraordinary is the ability to go beyond mere description, capturing and conveying the emotional impact of each image.
Flipping through the book, one does not merely perceive the appearance of Passalacqua but also feels what this place makes you experience.
With three souls so different yet profoundly aligned—ours, Assouline’s, and Daria and Andrea’s—the result is a true love letter. A tribute designed to make readers relive the dreamlike experience of a stay at Passalacqua: from the wonder of arrival to the sweet sadness of departure.
A.D.P : Is there a phrase or expression that would summarize Passalacqua?
V.D.S : “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Passalacqua has taught us that anything is possible, as long as you dare to dream.
Antonella Dellepiane Pescetto: Dear Daria and Andrea, you already published your first book with Assouline in 2018, Italian Chic, in which you poured your kaleidoscopic vision of Italy through Andrea’s illustrations and Daria’s photographs. How did you decide to create this first book?
Andrea Ferolla e Daria Reina: In 2015, shortly after opening our store in Via di Monserrato, Prosper and Martine Assouline came to visit us (Martine had been following us on Instagram for quite a while). At the end of a long lunch full of conversation at Pierluigi, they surprised us by asking if we would like to create a book for them about Italy — using the same approach we had on our Chez Dede Instagram profile.
A.D.P : What inspired you to take this step?
D.R, AF : Creating a book is a demanding endeavor. It’s a project that grows over time, with patience — sometimes cutting with a saber, sometimes chiseling carefully. But seeing the final result in print is priceless. Especially when it’s about Italy!
A.D.P : Tell us about the vision of Italy you wanted to capture in this volume.
D.R, A.F : We wanted to tell the story of Italy in all its variety its landscapes, details, recipes, colors, styles, and atmospheres portraying not only its most special and exclusive places but also the simple and deeply moving ones. Having the opportunity to work on this volume was truly an emotional experience.
A.D.P : How did you arrive at this second book about the wonderful world of Passalacqua, told through your eyes?
D.R, A.F : By 2022, we were already in touch with Passalacqua. We had created exclusive collections of handbags and clutches for them, recently launched on their website Sense of Lake, and we were in Como to meet in person and discover those beautiful places we had never seen before. I took some photos, one of which I posted on our Instagram account. That image caught the attention of both Valentina and her father Paolo, and it opened the door to a human and professional exchange that led us to where we are today.
A.D.P : How did your creativity interact with Passalacqua and its custodians?
D.R, A.F : We share with the custodians of Passalacqua a common vision and sensitivity. We both pursue beauty and authorial uniqueness. This made the task of translating a shared feeling into images an incredibly engaging experience. What made this dialogue even smoother and more effective was the kindness and genuine availability of the entire staff.
ADP : What captivated you most about this place? (One detail from each of you)
D.R : The great Passalacqua family ,no one excluded.
A.F: The timeless, romantic, or rather, lyrical atmosphere.
ADP : Why did you choose Assouline to publish your books? Had you known them for a long time, or did you contact them specifically to create the first book?
D.R, A.F : Assouline needs no introduction, and we were lucky enough that they reached out to us for the first project. Since then, we’ve become friends with Prosper, Martine, and Alex. So it felt perfectly natural to turn to them again when we started discussing this new editorial project with Valentina.
A.D.P : You’ve collaborated several times with the world of hospitality — Eden Rock Saint Barth, Le Sirenuse in Positano, and the legendary Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes. What fascinates you about this world of hospitality?
D.R, A.F : We love the challenge of adding allure and subtly highlighting with grace and a touch of humor, the unique character of all these legendary and beloved places through our creative direction or Andrea’s unmistakable artistic touch.
A.D.P : When you travel and stay at a hotel, what do you look for above all else? What are the essential ingredients for a memorable stay?
D.R, A.F : We look for hotels with charm, ideally with a story to tell, a terrace with a view, adults-only, with silence and soft lighting.
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