The mountains of Lecco, bridging the Valsassina valley and the deep waters of Como Lake. The “bald mountains”, as Leonardo da Vinci used to call them; between 1490 and 1499, by order of Ludovico Sforza, Regent of Milan, Leonardo explored these areas looking for mines from which to extract metals to forge weapons. Strongly impressed by those bare peaks, he used them as the background for some of his most famous paintings, like the Mona Lisa or the Virgin of the Rocks.
A trail rolling down the valley. This is how to reach Maso Zambo, a jewel unexpectedly revealed.
Maso, from Latin mansio (“dwelling”), indicates the farm. Over the centuries, the word came to stand for a property of houses and lands bequeathed to one heir.
Spreading over two hectares and a half, partly covered in woods, partly in pastures, Maso Zambo sits surrounded by trees bearing pears, apples, figs, apricots, cherries, walnuts, pomegranates, and mostly chestnuts in the woods. A few meters away, the vegetable garden grows produce that inspires the restaurant’s menu, and aromatic herbs from which the essential oils used for revitalizing treatments are extracted.
Zambo is the nickname of Stefano Zambon, a sophisticated man who toured Italy and Europe to savor delicacies at starred restaurants, and discover welcoming places where to sleep. Having forsaken his life as a manager, he went back to the places where his maternal family used to vacation, namely Valsassina. There, he found the ideal conditions to make his dream come true: a beloved place, where all his passions had a place. Maso Zambo welcomes fine connoisseurs sharing a taste for beauty, kindness, wellbeing, delight, and freedom.
What is Maso Zambo, then? Nature and hospitality, wide green open-air spaces, the simple luxury of a couple of rooms only, for guests to feel pampered and at home. Beds looking northwards at the view outside the windows, nature in the colors of all seasons, all rooms enveloped in wood from the valley, bathrooms in suites with crystal walls that enhance the natural light, and soft bedding sets in natural fibers, with every aspect of hospitality extremely cared for.
A secret, hidden corner, where times slows down.
At the spa, the air smells like Swiss pine, water evaporates into steam, the ice is blue, and hay has therapeutic properties. Everything is warm and welcoming, and simply beautiful. Steam sprays diffuse essential oils (from the Maso itself, naturally), to regain your wellbeing. After soaking in the warm pool, guests can cool down under the icy waterfall in cold winter nights, where they can roll around naked in the snow of Valsassina, and then warm themselves around the fire of the outdoor brazier, with a glass in hand.
At the Maso, pleasure takes countless forms. At the gourmet restaurant, suspended in silence just a few steps from Lake Como, seasonality is revered. The food served comes from the Maso itself, or from small local producers. Produce from the vegetable garden, aromatic herbs, the cheese trolley, fish from the lake, soups, stewed and boiled meats. Homemade pasta and desserts all taste like super fresh eggs straight from the henhouse, or wild strawberry jams from the woods nearby. All served with the best wines from the cellar.
Maso Zambo is a place you would never leave.
