Pets welcome Not suitable for children under 5 Smokers welcome Self-catering
Home description
House / villa for 6 persons located directly on the lake in front of Comacina Island. 4 room(s) , of which 3 Bedroom(s), Independent kitchen, Living room, 2 shower rooms, 2 separate toilets, Terrace, Balcony, Veranda Surface area : 180 m2 / 1936 sqft, Garden : 800 sqm 8606 sqft Year of construction : 1950
Facade Exterior and Garden. A large terrace invite's you and your friends for unforgettable din
Exterior and Garden - A fabulous garden, with old trees, situated directly to the lake.
Overview
To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/14030
The Lombardy / Lake Como Area
Just half an hour from noisy, bustling Milan, Lake Como is a jewel-like oasis of tranquillity, a magical combination of lush Mediterranean foliage and snowy alpine peaks. One of the best vantage points for this breathtaking view is in Piazza Cavour, on the banks of the lake in the town of Como. The cathedral here (pictured at left) is often cited as the best example of transitional architectural styles: to immediately understand what this means, compare the stunning gothic façade with the 18th-century dome above it.
At the heart of Como's walled Old Town, Piazza San Fedele has many 400-year-old buildings and the basilica, one of the masterpieces of the maestri comacini (masters of Como). At the top of Via Cantù you'll see the old wall's most spectacular standing tower, the Porta Vittoria. Nearby is the very austere church of San Abbondio. Rest awhile in its cloisters, then climb the hill behind it and go to the top of the Baradello Tower, for a lovely view of the entire lake. Next, walk back down the hill and visit Como's third great basilica, the early romanesque San Corpoforo.
Walking (or driving) along the western perimeter of the lake, you can stop in at the Tempio Voltiano, a surprising classic temple with marble columns and mosaic floors, housing the apparatus of Alessandro Volta, inventor of a battery that was the first reliable source of electricity. His name lives on today in the term "volt." Walk a bit farther in this direction if you want to visit the beautiful formal gardens and wild park of Villa dell'Olmo, a sumptuous lake home named after an elm forest mentioned by Pliny the Younger in the days when Como was a flourishing Roman outpost.
Before leaving Como, be sure to take the funivia up to Brunate for a truly spectacular view (and a change of temperature!). If you're a hiker, take the footpath up to Monte Boletto. From Como, it's just a short drive to Cernobbio, whose old town features a delightful collection of picturesque houses and narrow alleys. This is the site of the fictional Villa Baglianello, the elegant family-home-cum-pensione featured in the film "A Month by the Lake." Nearby is one of the grandest hotels in all Europe, the Villa D'Este (pictured at right), whose rooms are almost like museum galleries and whose grounds boast Italy's only "floating swimming pool" (it actually sits atop the lake). Up the road is Toriggia, where you can visit Villa Passalacqua, a late 18th-century home where Vincenzo Bellini once stayed.
As you travel north you'll see Como's only island, Isola Comacina. The best day of the year to take the ferry over to the island is the week end after June 24th, when St. John's Day is celebrated with a mass in the ruins of the S. Eufemia basilica, followed by a costumed procession and night-time fireworks. Lake Como is renowned for its exquisite villas, and probably the most famous one is Villa Carlotta, a perfect combination of luxurious interiors (beautiful stuccos, lovely ceiling frescoes and a great art collection, including an Eros and Psyche by Antonio Canova) and luxuriant exteriors (over 500 species of plants, trees and shrubs from all over the world).
Tremezzo is another lovely lakeside town. There's a classic lakeside promenade, as well as many wonderful old villas (some of which have been converted to hotels), and it's from here you can take a car ferry over to Bellaggio and Varenna, on the opposite shore.
Varenna may be the most picturesque town on the lake, its steep winding alleys lined with charming homes, flowering balconies and lace-curtained windows. Just above it is the ancient castle where Theodolinda, Queen of the Lombards, is said to have died in the 7th century. Two famed villas to visit here are Villa Cipressi, with terraced gardens cascading right down to the shores, and Villa Monastero, a true showcase.
On the southern shore is Bellaggio, la perla del lago (the pearl of the lake), considered by many to be the most beautiful town in all of Europe. Its narrow cobbled streets, breathtaking views, impeccable homes and glorious villas (pictured above is Villa Serbelloni) make it a most enchanting spot to spend your own unforgettable "Month by the Lake."
An ancient fishing village and a sedately elegant resort, Varenna is home to Italy's shortest river, the Fiumelatte. All of 250 meters (833 feet) long, it rushes, frothy and milk-white (hence the name) down the rockface and crashes into the lake. From the end of March to the end of October each year. And then it stops. Just like that. Leonardo da Vinci climbed down to find out where the water came from. But neither he -- nor anyone else -- has ever been able to work it out. (He made reference to it in the Codice Atlantico, which is in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan).
Passenger ferries connect Varenna with Menaggio, while the car ferry links it to Cadenabbia, and Bellagio.
Sala Comacina area
.This little village, which lies on the western shore of Lake Como, at the foot of Monte Costone, is one of the most distinctive places on the lake. In the last century Sala Comacina was already considered an important holiday destination, as is demontrated by the many villas which have stood along the coast since then. On the headland known as the "Puncia", which was formed by deposits from the Premonte stream, stands Villa Rachele.
It was owned by Cesare Beccaria and hosted many famous literary figures, such as Alessandro Manzoni and Cesare Cantù. The lake's only island, Isola Comacina, lies opposite the village and can be reached by boat. There one can visit the fourteenth century Church of San Giovanni and the remains of the little Church of Sant'Eufemia, which dates back to seventh century but it was rebuilt in the eleventh century. Every year in June the festival of Saint John takes place to commemorate the destruction of the island by the Comaschi, in 1169, as a punishment for its alliance with Milan, during the ten-year war (1118-1127).
SIGHTS The Church of S. Bartolomeo This Romanesque church was rebuilt in the seventeent/eighteenth centuries, but some of the original structure has been preserved. The church contains some paintings from the Luinesca School, a baroque altar made of wood and fresco by the Carloni (17th-18th centuries).
How to get there
Arrival by car: Autostrada A9 Milano Laghi, slip road Como Nord. Following the road 340 to Menaggio (22 km distant to Como). After Argegno and Colonno you arrive in Sala Comacina, after passing the church, you will find a parking place on the right, which shows boat service to Isola Comacina. There you will find the Villa Giacosa. In bus: from Como every 30 minutes is a bus to Menaggio-Colico. Stopover Sala Comacina. By boat, speed boat: from Como in direction Colico with stopover in Sala Comacina (summer time table) Como-Colico: 10:33/11:23/15:37 Colico-Como: 11:09/17:49
Print this page
E-mail to Friend
Add to Facebook
