Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
May 21-23 2026. It was the light that first struck me, My wife and I had arrived in Como the day before and it was hissing down but Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny and not too hot. Hotel Villa d’Este lies slap-bang on the shores of Lake Como about 2km from Cernobbio, and at the time I arrived all was quiet and serene with the sun glinting off the lake and the concours entrants parked mainly in the dappled shade of the trees. The Riva boats were bobbing gently in the hotel’s small marina, and parking an Alfa Romeo 2500 SS ‘Villa d’Este’ outside of the hotel’s gift shop…very classy. It was going to be a very good day.