A wedding overlooking the water, a birthday dinner on a villa terrace or a company retreat with time to explore the lake. Lake Como brings together historic houses, gardens and lakeside hotels, with room to make the stay part of the occasion.
The Italian Chapter plans events on Lake Como for international clients. Alessia Piperno works directly with you, supported by selected collaborators and trusted local suppliers, to organise the venue, guest accommodation, transport, dining and event arrangements.
Choosing your setting
A terrace for dinner, bedrooms for your guests and a convenient place to board a boat may belong to three different properties. Choosing them together makes a considerable difference to the experience.
Como and Cernobbio, the villages around Tremezzina, and Bellagio and Varenna offer different starting points for a stay. We consider the location of your event alongside accommodation, arrivals and the places you would like to visit.
The aim is to give your guests time to enjoy where they are. A welcome dinner close to their hotel or a celebration with accommodation nearby can leave more of the day for the occasion itself.
Your occasion
A lakeside villa ceremony, dinner in a garden and a welcome evening with everyone arriving from abroad: the wedding often extends beyond a single day. We help you choose a venue and coordinate catering, flowers, entertainment, guest stays and transport.
During the venue search, we look at ceremony and reception spaces, indoor alternatives, supplier access and the arrangements for the end of the evening.
Milestone birthdays, anniversaries and family gatherings can centre on a private dinner or become a few days together. A villa, a hotel or a restaurant with a reserved space provides the base; meals, boat outings and time in the surrounding villages complete the stay.
We coordinate the practical details around your guests, including different accommodation preferences and activities people can choose to join.
Leadership meetings, company celebrations and incentive programmes need a setting that supports both the working agenda and the time outside it. We help source accommodation and meeting spaces, then coordinate dining, transfers and shared experiences.
For corporate retreats, we can help source meeting rooms, suitable coworking spaces or private working areas alongside the accommodation, including breakout space where required. We start with the hotel’s own facilities and, if a separate workspace is needed, consider the practical journey by road or boat. We select the workspace around the number of participants, the meeting format and room layout, Wi-Fi and connectivity, screens and audiovisual equipment for presentations or video calls, privacy and quiet, proximity to the accommodation, and catering or access hours where relevant.
Meeting facilities, privacy, room arrangements and travel between venues are considered early, so the programme fits the people attending.
Venues & Accommodation
A beautiful setting is one part of the decision. We also look at how the property will accommodate your guests, host the event and connect with the rest of the stay.
A villa can offer gardens, reception rooms and outdoor space for a wedding or private gathering. We check what the hire includes, which areas are reserved for your group, the event capacity and the arrangements for catering, music and wet weather.
A hotel can bring accommodation, dining and meeting facilities together. We compare the rooms, event spaces and level of privacy available, including whether a private area or full property hire would suit your plans.
Some properties host celebrations without providing bedrooms for the whole group. We can coordinate nearby hotels at different price points and plan journeys between them and the event venue.
Steps, slopes, boarding points and vehicle access deserve attention before a venue is chosen. We discuss mobility needs and the practicalities of arrivals, supplier deliveries and late-evening departures.
Around the table
Aperitivo on a terrace gives arriving guests a first evening together. A birthday dinner might become the main event of a weekend, while a farewell lunch offers another chance to sit down with people who have travelled to join you.
We help choose the setting and coordinate the menu, dietary requirements, table arrangements and any flowers or entertainment. A restaurant’s private room, a hotel terrace and a catered villa dinner each offer a different way to host.
If the evening includes a boat journey, we plan the departure and return with the operator and check the alternative arrangements. The dinner, transport and guest accommodation need to work together.
This page includes illustrative images created for the website.
Time to explore
A few shared plans can give the stay its shape while leaving guests time to explore independently. We suggest experiences around the season, your group’s interests and the location of your accommodation.
See the villas and villages from the water, with a route and boat suited to your group. We discuss boarding arrangements, capacity, timing and weather alternatives with the operator.
Visits to places such as Villa del Balbianello or Villa Carlotta can add art, architecture and gardens to the programme. We check the available visit formats and booking requirements for your dates.
Allow time for village streets, waterfront walks and lunch along the way. The route is planned around your starting point, transport connections and how much walking your guests would enjoy.
A cooking session or guided tasting offers a shared activity around the table. We source an appropriate host and space, taking account of group size, dietary needs and the time available.
A guided walk can introduce another view of the lake. Routes are chosen for the group’s fitness, mobility and the conditions on the day, with other options for guests who prefer a quieter morning.
Time in Como can include its historic centre, food stops and an introduction to the city’s silk heritage. It can form part of the stay or fit around an arrival or departure when the schedule allows.
Planning the stay
The date affects how you use gardens, terraces and the water. We review the spaces available for your chosen season, the indoor alternatives and the services operating during your stay.
Airport transfers depend on the arrival airport and the exact location of your accommodation. We coordinate journeys using the actual guest itinerary, allowing for traffic, luggage and the final approach to each property.
A boat can be an outing, a transfer or part of an arrival. Each use needs the right capacity, boarding point and timing. We check the arrangements for changes in weather and how guests would travel if the planned boat journey cannot operate.
Venue hire is only part of the cost. Accommodation, catering, transport, equipment, flowers and entertainment all contribute to the total. We help you compare proposals and understand what is included before deciding where to spend.
Your planning team
You work directly with Alessia Piperno on the occasion, the guest experience and the decisions along the way. Her background in hospitality, concierge services and guest relations informs how the event and the stay are planned.
Selected collaborators and trusted local suppliers support the project according to its size and requirements. We coordinate their responsibilities, keep track of the arrangements and agree the on-site support needed for your event.
If you are planning from abroad, calls, shared proposals and live video visits where available can help you review options before travelling.
A stay in Milan can precede or follow your time on the lake, with space for a company meeting, dinner or city visit. We can discuss how the two locations fit your schedule and coordinate the accommodation and transfers.
Questions We Are Often Asked
Yes. We help with venue research, supplier coordination, guest accommodation, transport and the events surrounding the wedding. We begin with your dates, approximate guest numbers, budget and the kind of celebration you have in mind.
Yes. We plan private celebrations that can include a dinner, a villa stay or several days with friends and family. Accommodation, meals, activities and transport are coordinated around your guests and the occasion.
Lake Como can suit leadership meetings, company celebrations and incentive programmes. The right property needs to meet the working requirements as well as the accommodation brief. We check meeting rooms, equipment, privacy and travel between the planned activities.
That depends on the property. Some venues offer accommodation, while others are used only for the event. We check bedroom capacity separately from event capacity and can coordinate nearby hotels when the group needs additional rooms.
The total depends on the date, venue, guest numbers and what you want to include. Private hire, catering, accommodation, boats or road transfers, production and other suppliers can all affect the budget. Share an approximate overall budget so we can discuss options within the scope of your plans.
Begin once you have an approximate date range, guest count and budget. If a particular villa or hotel matters to you, availability should be checked early. The planning timetable depends on the venue, the season and the complexity of the event.
The arrangements depend on where guests arrive and which part of the lake they are staying in. We can coordinate private transfers and discuss suitable connections for the group. Journey times are assessed for the actual route; there is no single transfer time that applies to every lakeside venue.
We review indoor event spaces and alternative transport during planning. The agreed response depends on the venue, boat operator and services booked. For an outdoor reception, it is important to understand the capacity and setup of the alternative space before confirming the property.
We can help organise visits as part of the stay, checking the options offered by each property for your dates and group. Private visits or event hire need separate confirmation and do not automatically mean that the entire property is closed to other visitors.
Much of the preparation can take place through calls, shared information and venue proposals. Live video visits may also be useful where available. Alessia helps you identify which decisions can be made remotely and whether an in-person visit would help.
Alessia leads the planning and coordinates the collaborators and suppliers involved. The on-site team, responsibilities and coverage are agreed as part of your proposal, according to the programme and the size of the event.
Share your preferred dates, approximate guest numbers and budget, along with any venues or ideas you already have in mind. We can discuss the celebration, the stay and the support you need.