15th century palazzo turned boutique hotel hidden on an inner courtyard in old town of Como

Palazzo Albricci Peregrini / Como / Lombardia / Italy

How do you stand out as a hotel? That is a question I guess every single hotel owner asks themselves when they are creating their concept. Should we build something around the history of the building, hire a famous designer, push the price to make good design affordable for all? The opportunities are not endless, but almost. With that said, most tend to choose one of the more generic options. But then there are some hotels that do something unexpected. Like this one, Palazzo Albricci Peregrin, where the stand out piece, is the breakfast.

Ok, to be fair, it is not only the breakfast that stand out here. The building as such is pretty impressive. The hotel is housed in a 15th century palace sitting in the middle of the historic centre of Como. The old town of Como is a beautiful town with its ancient medieval walls and watch towers. It is on one of these narrow streets where you’ll find Palazzo Albricci Peregrin.

The owners of the hotel, Maximiliano and Lidia Galli, decided to open up the doors to their impressive urban palace. Before it was ready to function as a hotel, they enlisted their daughter Ester, who is an architect and a colleague of hers, Giovanni Cavalcabò. They performed the gentle transformation, where this private home was made ready to house hotel guests.

To reach the hotel, you enter a massive wooden door, into a courtyard. Continue to the next courtyard and you’ll find a lush garden and the entrance to the hotel. We stayed in the room called Tobacco and what stood out to us, was the space. Tall ceilings and large windows facing the courtyard that flooded the room with light. I love the original terrazzo floors and the faded wallpaper (or painted walls??). The name of the room, I guess must come from the color of the bathroom (also massive in size, by the way) which was painted a rich tobacco brown.

And then on to the main event, the breakfast. It is served in the breakfast room (surprisingly enough…), which is an ancient room with exposed beams. And breakfast is something they take serious here. You get served at the table, so no sloppy buffet, where you are presented with all these lovely trays filled with all kinds of goodies where you pick and choose what you want. All in all there were 5 servings and it was difficult to keep yourself from overeating. Everything just looked so good and tasted even better. Hard to imagine a better start to any day.

We have almost arrived at the hotel. First you have to enter this huge door…

…cross one of the courtyards of this 15th century palazzos…

…until you have arrived at your destination. Welcome to Palazzo Albricci Peregrin!

I love how the front of the building is all covered in ivy.

We are all checked in and ready to head up to our room.

But first, a welcome drink and some nibbles.

The walls of staircase were covered in all of these vintage and antique mirrors.

This is the lounge just outside of our room. I love the floors, the walls. Such a beautiful space full of character.

And I got the same feeling in our room. The walls! The floors! So beautiful! How history of the building is allowed to show in the design.

It makes me happy to see designers that dares to keep an unpolished and raw look like this one.

Our bathroom which was painted a soft (very unusual) brown color.

We have to talk about the main event when staying here, the breakfast. It is served in the cozy space next to reception.

This is how a cappuccino should be served! Love these vintage cups.

Breakfast is served as a 5-course meal and everything was so delicious.

After breakfast, some exercise is badly needed. There are bikes on loan at the hotel.

And after a full day of exploring, what is better than finished of with a really delicious pizza. We got a recommendation to go to Donnarumma Pizza and we were not disappointed.

RG inside info

This place is perfect if you…

…are a history buff. If you like hotels with a quiet setting that offers great service and you are a bonafide breakfast fanatic, you can trust me when I say you’ll love Palazzo Albricci Peregrin.

My favorite thing about this place…

…is the breakfast. Yes, the hotel looks great. I love all the old features and vintage furniture that have been gently restored and incorporated into the design, but the breakfast is something I have never experienced before. I have had a 5-course dinner before, but never a 5-course breakfast. Being a hardcore breakfast lover, it is an understatement to say that I was in heaven.

What not to miss when staying here…

…is to grab one of the hotel bikes to explore the town of Como and its surroundings. It is a great way to get around the area.

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