|
For the past 2 years, the building has been painstakingly restored, with particular attention paid to the finishings and architectural details of its period. An indoor pool and underground parking have been added to the grounds, and a fitness center will be available in 2003.
Almost everything in the apartment is new. Beautiful teak and marble tile from local quarries cover the floors. All furnishings, appliances, linens, and dinnerware are also new, ready for you to enjoy.
Location:Lake Como Residence located in the old town, of Carate Urio, rich in residential villas, sits in a spectacular panoramic position on a beautiful slope facing the lake–one of the most elegant and romantic parts of the lake where the sun glistens over the water (often-times reflecting on the ceiling!).
Lake Como is a jewel-like oasis of tranquillity, a magical combination of lush Mediterranean foliage and snowy alpine peaks. Enclosed by lush, steep-sided mountains, the blue waters of Lake Como have for centuries attracted visitors, including important statesmen, artists, and glitterati. The lake remains a playground today not only for the rich and famous but also for those escaping greater Milan and the Po River Valley, less than an hour away. Driving south along the lake from the villa, you will find wonderful villas framed by astonishing scenery. You will pass Cernobbio, with the amazing Villa d’Este, before arriving in Como, a magical town with fabulous markets, cafes, shops, and museums.
Layout: On the fourth floor, the villa consists of a two-bedroom apartment with a connecting studio apartment. In total the space is 1,400 sq. ft. or 135 sq. meters. These spaces can be rented in total (three bedrooms) or offered separately as there is a door between the two apartments. The studio has a double, pull-out sofa for use as the third bedroom. The two-bedroom apartment features a large open gourmet kitchen with a center island and a living area with a double sleep sofa and 2 balconies, a dining area, a glass table seating eight, two bedrooms (with a queen and double bed) each with water-view balconies, and 2 marble-tiled, full baths.(Master bedroom has a private bath.)
The studio apartment features lake views as well as a balcony from the living/sleeping area which is equipped with a double sofa bed, a four-person dining table, kitchen, and full marble-tiled bath.
Driveing up the lake road, turn off the main road and head right down to the water's edge and you'll come to a delightful little village with a clutch of beautiful villas, served by two restaurants, a couple of food shops, a cafe and a newsstand where you might catch a glimpse of the Versaces or George Clooney, who own homes in the neighborhood. In the middle of this quiet backwater is a spectacular turn-of-the-last-century building that has just undergone a massive restructuring and facelift. You
access the property through electronic gates, then leave your car in one of the two reserved parking spots in the underground garage. On the way up to the flat, you'll pass the heated indoor swimming pool, gym and sundeck. Then step into the brand-new elevator for your short ride up to the fourth floor (Italian).
The first thing that greets you when you step through the door is sunlight. The entire front wall of this home is lined with French doors and step balconies, and thanks to the lake's mild microclimate, you can enjoy the warm air and sunshine even when snow caps the mountains above. The apartment, which was furnished with top-of-the-line Italian pieces in mid-2002, measures 1400 square feet and boasts teak and marble floors, birch or frosted glass cabinets, white or pigeon gray upholstery, and creamy area rugs, which combine to form a color scheme that only accentuates the cheerful atmosphere.
You enter the apartment via a short hallway with a triple wardrobe. Next comes the California-style kitchen, which features a four-burner range, oven, microwave, dishwasher, full fridge and freezer, and every utensil possible, including a toaster, US coffee machine, cappuccino machine, blender and juicer. The area is completed by an island with two sinks and four stools. Also in the same large room are a dining area with table for eight, and a living room with two couches and a stuffed chair (one couch opens up, in case you have an overnight visitor or two). Handy accessories include satellite TV, a CD player, iron and board, vacuum cleaner, cell phone.
This building is so ingeniously designed that, although the two bedrooms face away from the street, each has floor-to-ceiling views of the lake from its queen bed (one bed is slightly narrower than the other). A large bathroom off the hall has a double shower, scale, washer and drier, and counter for folding laundry. The master bathroom is en suite and features a tub with curtain, and a large farmhouse-style sink.
On the opposite side of the dining room is a sitting room with an excellent orthopedic double sleep sofa, TV, modem hook-up, table for four, dresser and two wardrobes. This room can be made completely private thanks to locking sliding doors, and it has its own entrance with video-monitor. The mini-apartment is completed by a small kitchenette and a gorgeous bathroom with oversized stall shower. We cannot imagine anything more idyllic than
enjoying breakfast with a view here, but of course you will want to explore the area. Take a lake steamer from Menaggio, only 3km away; drive 15 minutes to Switzerland, or 90 minutes to St. Moritz for skiing or hiking (fabulous Italian skiing is just over half an hour away); shop for silk in Como or visit some of the excellent designer outlets in the vicinity; take the train to Milan to see the Last Supper or an opera. Or just take the elevator downstairs for a swim, or to relax with an aperitivo at the little café on the ground floor of the building. Don't worry about traffic, because this is a local access road, not the main lakeside thoroughfare that goes from Como up to Switzerland. The only people driving down here are the other lucky devils who also dwell in this little piece of paradise.
Character: Spacious, sunny, upscale apartment with gorgeous views of Lake Como from every window in the house.
Location: Right on the shore of the lake in a tiny hamlet a few minutes' drive from Cernobbio. A public bus stops right in front of the house, and the lake steamers dock about five minutes away.
Size: Sleeps 4 + 4 in total comfort; large living/dining room with sleep sofa and spectacular views, California-style kitchen, master bedroom with queen bed and en suite bathroom with tub, second bedroom with double bed, big bathroom with double shower, separate studio apartment with sleep sofa in the living room, big bathroom and kitchenette, 5 step balconies with lake and mountain views.
Features: Gated property with elevator to 4th floor unit, indoor swimming pool, gym, four-burner range, oven, microwave, dishwasher, full fridge and freezer, toaster, US coffeemachine, cappuccino machine, blender and juicer, washer and drier, satellite TV, CD player, iron and board, vacuum cleaner, cell phone and modem hook-up, hair driers, indoor
parking.
Minimum stay: Three nights in low season; Saturday-to-Saturday in June, July and August.
Advantages: The accommodations surpass those of a five-star hotel, and almost no hotel room on the lake has views like these. Extremely quiet and secluded, but shops and a cafe are right downstairs.
Disadvantages: No air conditioning, but with all the French doors and the breeze off the lake, you are very unlikely to need it.
Car needed: No, but we recommend it for touring.
|
