Living la dolce vita in a lakefront villa
Nothing stuffy about this museum-like mansion with modern comforts
Living the high life — Italianstyle — is just 6,600 kilometres and $53,000 away.
That’s the low-end cost of a week’s stay at Villa Besana on the shores of Lake Como, an upscale resort area in northern Italy.
Few luxuries are left unoffered at the picturesque retreat in the foothills of the Alps, where a Michelin-starred chef, a cellar of fine wines and opulent accommodations await guests’ arrival.
Add a beautiful 4.5-hectare botanical garden, a classic wooden Italian boat and enough beds to sleep 20 and you have everything you need for a big family vacation.
Not sold yet? Then drink in this scene:
“To arrive on the private docks of the estate and walk up the steps to enjoy the marvellous panorama of the majestic Lake Como is the recipe for a dreamlike and well-deserved retreat,” reads the welcome mat posted online by Retreats, the recently launched luxury vacation rentals department of Italy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Managing partner Lodovico Pignatti Morano picks up the pitch: “Lake Como is one of the most magical and renowned places in Italy.”
The region plays host to “beautiful” landscapes, “stunning” villages and “magnificent” historic villas, he says, pulling out all the superlatives.
Villa Besana, picture-perfect, comfortable and deluxe to the max, has welcomed visitors from around the globe — celebrities, well-heeled holidayers and others with a “refined taste for both luxury and art,” Morano says.
Built by Milanese knight Eugenio Besana in 1891, the property was acquired 30 years later by Italian tycoon Luigi Orlando — a major player in the shipbuilding and iron industries — for his private residence. The four generations who have lived there over the last 100 years share a passion for culture, style and splendour.
The neo-Renaissance man- sion is filled with 19th- and 20th-century furniture, paintings and other objets d’art from around the world. Marble from Genoa and Venetian silk wallpaper adorn spacious rooms throughout the grand threestorey dwelling, where arches grace the outermost walls. A two-room private museum on the second floor envelops guests in living history. The villa boasts modern conveniences and amenities, including a heated outdoor swimming pool, satellite television and Wi-Fi.
All 10 bedrooms, filled with elegant yet homey furnishings, have their own private bathrooms and walkouts to outdoor spaces overlooking the gardens or lake. Breakfast on the terrace never tasted better, as the morning sun warms the breeze against a backdrop of gentle mountain slopes.
“The sky is pure, the air mild, and one recognizes the land beloved of the gods,” 19th-century French writer Stendhal said of Lake Como and the surrounding area.
Serviced on a level comparable to a five-star hotel, Villa Besana employs a private cook who’s been “loyal to the villa for 25 years,” according to Morano.
With a focus on local fare and delicacies, “dishes are tailormade, each meal depending on the tastes and needs of the guests,” he says in an email.
Those who want a taste of local culture can tour and sample at area wineries or take a 10minute walk to the village of Bellagio, where cobbled streets, parks and fishing boats await shutterbugs. Kayaking and water skiing are also available for the athletically inclined.
Seventy kilometres away, Milan offers all the attractions of a busy metropolis known for fashion, art and design.
Now about the villa’s rental fee. Let’s see, split among five households ...