Arnault is looking for a house in Italy: the French billionaire is said to have “secretly” visited Lake Como to buy a villa on the banks of the Lario
Bernard Arnaultone of the richest men in the world, is looking for a house on Lake Como: according to those in the know, the French entrepreneur, CEO of LVMH, was the protagonist of a “secret” journey on the shores of the Lombard body of water to find the ideal villa.
Bernard Arnault is looking for a house on Lake Como
Arnault’s visit, as reported by ‘La Provincia di Como’, was supposed to be secret, but according to local sources operating in the real estate sector, the wealthy French entrepreneur took a tour in Tremezzina: a hit and run aimed at a real estate operation.
Arnault, after purchasing the Urio Castle in Carate, intends to do more shopping in Italy and would once again have Lake Como in his sights. In addition to owning over 70 brands divided between high fashion, jewellery, wine, watches, publishing and large-scale retail companies, LVMH is also active in the hotel sector and in 2018 acquired Belmond: 2.6 billion dollar operation to strengthen its presence in the world of high-end hospitality.
The trip to Lake Como would have been used to view homes to add to the Como real estate portfolio by Belmond: Arnault would be particularly fascinated by the lake, so much so that he had his eye on iconic hotels in the area in unsuspecting times, even making offers that were difficult to refuse on some occasions.
In Arnault’s sights there would be in particular the structures located on the western shore of the Lario, ideal for attracting the attention of tourists at an international level. On Lake Como the transalpine entrepreneur had already purchased the Urio Castle, an imposing building overlooking Lake Como, former property of Opus Dei.
During his fleeting trip to Italy, Arnault may have also stopped by the Urio Castle, to personally view the project restyling: in fact, a major restoration work is planned for the structure, to be transformed into a luxury hotel, and the park of over two hectares that surrounds it.
Belmond and luxury hotels in Italy and around the world
Belmond, a subsidiary of LVMH, already owns several luxury hotels scattered throughout Italy: ranging from Villa San Michele in Fiesole to the Hotel Splendido in Portofino, passing through the Romazzino in Sardinia and the historic Hotel Cipriani in Venice.
Outside our country, Belmond also owns the Copacabana Palace in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and the Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg, Russia. The group is also the owner of river cruise ships and historic trains such as the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient Express.
Stably in the top positions of the rankings dedicated to the richest billionaires in the world, Bernard Jean Etienne Arnault (according to Forbes in first place in the billionaire rankings of 2024) is the founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH, the largest company in France which controls almost two thirds of the fashion and luxury market worldwide.
LVMH it is the owner of over seventy brands, starting with high fashion ones such as Christian Dior, DKNY, Fendi, Celine, Guerlain, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Kenzo, Loro Piana, Emilio Pucci and Louis Vuitton. Among the watch brands, TAG Heuer stands out, while in the jewelery sector Tiffany and Bulgari stand out.
