Classic charm and grand ambitions at La Luce

Sometimes the soul simply needs a slice of genuine, understated grandezza to switch off from everyday life. That is exactly what you will find in the historic Villa Principe Leopoldo high above Lake Lugano, where the restaurant La Luce beckons with classic charm and a dreamlike backdrop. Even if not every detail was quite perfect during our late-summer visit, the journey here is clearly heading upwards – a place to enjoy and feel thoroughly at ease.

Location & History

The historic Villa Principe Leopoldo sits majestically atop the picturesque Collina d’Oro, the proverbial hill of gold, offering you a prachtvoll panoramic view over Lake Lugano. The estate was built in 1926 by Berlin architects Clemens and Koenitz in the local Heimatstil and originally served as a private summer residence for the Prussian Prince Friedrich Leopold von Hohenzollern. It was only in 1986 that this exclusive residence was converted into a five-star hotel. The in-house gourmet restaurant, known for decades simply by the name of the house, now welcomes you as the newly christened La Luce.

The Chef

Behind the stoves is Executive Chef Cristian Moreschi, who preserves the culinary soul of the house with great sensitivity. Moreschi gathered over ten years of valuable professional experience in Italy and St. Moritz before joining the Villa in 2011, working for years under his mentor Dario Ranza, whom he eventually succeeded in 2019. His cuisine is characterised by a harmonious marriage of Italian tradition and contemporary innovation, currently securing the restaurant 16 Gault&Millau points. Moreschi, who first earned a Michelin star in February 2021, focuses on the natural flavour of local, seasonal produce and celebrates the classic school with great passion directly at the guest's table.

Ambience

The ambience here is delightfully nostalgic and wonderfully old-school – anyone who loves this classic, dignified style will feel instantly at home. The view over Lugano is simply breathtaking, and in the afternoon it is wonderful to relax with a drink by the pool, which, nou nou, is no longer a given everywhere. A small fly in the ointment was our wobbly table at the start of the evening, but the team reacted charmingly and quickly offered us a far better spot with an unobstructed view of the glittering panorama. Four-legged companions are also warmly welcome here; a drinking bowl was already waiting for our dog, even if they could still take a leaf out of the book of other Swiss luxury hotels when it comes to pampering them with dog biscuits.

Service

The service experienced a bit of a roller coaster ride on this day. The welcome was a little bumpy – no one was on hand to help with the luggage – but the wonderful Ingrid at reception saved the opening with her warm manner and a generous upgrade to a VIP suite. During dinner, the wait for the starters dragged on a bit at a good 30 minutes, and communication in English does not always run completely smoothly. However, Sommelier Luca and his service team steered the evening into successful waters with professionalism and genuine warmth. The only real hitch is with room service: when two filled glasses for a hefty 44 francs are mistakenly delivered instead of the ordered empty white wine glasses, or when salt and yoghurt are missing at breakfast, that really shouldn't happen in this class of hotel.

Food & Wine

Culinary-wise, there were real highlights and minor technical weaknesses on this evening. While the amuse-bouches of tomato, mozzarella, and pesto made a solid start, the lobster salad lacked a bit of seasoning and play of texture despite being perfectly cooked. The sea bass cooked in a salt crust was unfortunately a touch too dry, but was rescued by a technically superb beurre blanc. An absolute dream and true magic, on the other hand, was the creamy, deeply aromatic risotto finished at the table – absolutely ingenious! The cheese trolley, with a fantastic selection from Ticino and Northern Italy, and the Crêpes Suzette flambéed at the table were also an absolute delight. The wine list is superbly stocked, focusing wonderfully on the terroir with great treasures such as the Castello di Luigi, and Luca advises you on this with genuine expertise.

The Verdict

Even though La Luce has had to relinquish its Michelin star for the time being, you can feel the burning ambition to scale this peak once more at every turn. It is a wonderfully gezellig place with a soul, fantastic wines, and a service team that looks after its guests with a great deal of heart. If you want to enjoy excellent risotto and classic craftsmanship in a dreamlike setting, I can only highly recommend a visit to Cristian Moreschi and his crew.