luxury vacation villa - Lake Como

Villa Affascinante is a beautiful mid XIX Century Villa that has always belonged to the family of the Marquis of Rezzonico. Renovated and redecorated in the fall of 2006, the villa faces southeast at the mid-point of Lake Como and has fabulous views of the three arms of the lake and of the beautiful mountains behind. Its large park has century-old trees including magnificent specimens of sequoia, cedar, oak and palm trees. It can accommodate up to 20 guests.

The interior of the villa is glamorous. The mosaic floors, the grand staircase and statue and the elegant setting all combine to set this residence apart as a villa of superb grace and elegance. The villa has been recently restored, but maintains its old world charm and atmosphere. It has all the amenities of a modern house; central heating, satellite TV, modern kitchen, etc. Villa Affascinante is the perfect place for weddings, meetings and parties. It has a private tennis court and swimming pool which is heated from May to September** and Private mooring in front of the villa.

There is also a beautiful rose garden and vegetable garden in the back yard. Next to the tennis court is a play ground for the children.
For guests needing handicapped accessibility, an en suite bedroom can be arranged for. Please not that Villa Affascinante can be rented along with Villa Giallo which can accommodate up to 7 guests. This villa is located directly behind Villa Affascinante.

Ground Floor: Large foyer; living room with open fireplace and doors leading onto the lawn with views of the lake; formal dining room; kitchen and toilet.

First Floor: One bedroom with queen size bed, en suite full bathroom with shower and jacuzzi tub, and doors leading to a furnished terrace with stunning lake views; one bedroom with two twin beds(can be made into a queen) and en suite bathroom with shower and jacuzzi tub, overlooking the rear park; a large bedroom with two twin beds (can be made into a queen) with en suite bathroom and doors to the terrace.

Second floor: A game room with large windows overlooking the lake and swimming pool; one bedroom with a queen size bed, lake views and en suite bathroom with shower and jacuzzi tub; one bedroom with two twin beds (can be made into a queen), views overlooking the rear park, and en suite bathroom with shower and tub.

Third floor (this level was once the servants\' quarters): Small kitchen with stove top; three bedrooms, each with two twin beds (can be made into a queen), two bedrooms have en suite bathroom with shower and one bedroom has an en suite bathroom with shower and tub. Two single beds can be added to two of the three bedrooms upon request for an extra charge (see charges).

There is a queen bedroom on the ground floor

A small 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom small dependence located a few meters from the main villa.

**Pool can be heated outside of this period for a charge of 4 Euros/hour.

A WELCOME DINNER ON DAY OF ARRIVAL AS WELL AS A BASIC GROCERY SHOPPING IS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE(MILK, COFFEE, TEA, BREAD, BISCUITS, SUGAR, SALT, WATER, FRUIT, EGGS, OIL, BUTTER, JAM, ORANGE JUICE, CEREALS)

ALSO THE PRICE INCLUDES:

- Guest Relations available throughout the stay at the villa. Highly personalized one-of-a-kind experiences for the guests organized by our in-house concierge

- Welcome drink and fresh flowers

- Buffet “Welcome Dinner “ provided on arrival (up to 20 people only)

- Cook service for dinner (food and beverages not included). The cook will also buy all the necessary food which is to be paid for directly in cash at the end of the stay. An amount of € 1.500 is to be paid upon arrival as a deposit. The chef will be available to the guests throughout their stay at the Villa.

- Daily Continental Breakfast service (bread, marmalade, butter, tea, milk, coffee, croissant, cereals, cheese, ham)

- Daily housekeeping service: 3 hours – 3 ladies in the morning (except Sunday)

- Daily change of towels (except Sunday) and twice weekly change of bed linen - Once weekly change of pool towels

- Luxury bath products (Hermès – Eau d’Orange Verte) – daily replenishment

- Pool heating (from May to September)

- Garden and pool maintenance

- Pets allowed at no extra

SERVICES NOT INCLUDED - ON REQUEST TO BE PAID ON SITE:

Extra housekeeping: € 18 per hour/per staff member (€ 22 per hour / per staff member on Sun / public holidays)

Extra bed (2 maximum): € 400 per bed / per week

Swimming pool heating: Jan 01 - May 19 and Sep 16 – Dec 31: €5 per hour (in order to reach the minimum water temperature of 24/25°C, it is necessary to turn on the heater 36 hours before the guests’ arrival in mild weather. If the weather is colder, the minimum necessary heating time is 72 hours. Once the minimum temperature is reached, a minimum 12 hours per day of heating is required to maintain the temperature)

Cook service for lunch: € 300 per meal (plus cost of food) Personal laundry service: € 18 per hour Butler service: € 400 per day Transfer to / from airports

The Lake Como Area: Motorboats and Bicycles for hire; Pitch and Putt; Windsurfing; Water Skiing - Menaggio 10 minutes. Golf; Several Golf Clubs in the area - Menaggio Golf Club; in Grandola, the course is 20 minutes away. Riding Grounds: Garandola Centro Ippico La Torre - 20 minutes, and La Pinetina 19 km south of Como.

Lake Como is renowned for its luxuriant vegetation and its mild climate. In winter, in the sunniest areas such as Tremezzina, the temperature is never too cold. In summer, the warm weather is mitigated by cool lake breezes.

What to see: In Como, the Cathedral and Piazza S.Fedele with many 400-year-old buildings and the Basilica, one of the masterpieces of the Maestri Comacini (masters of Como). The very austere church of San Abbondio or the early Romanesque Basilica of San Corpoforo. Before leaving Como, be sure to take the cable car up to Brunate for a truly spectacular view. From Como, going north along the left shore 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 Balbianello, the elegant family-home-cum-pensione featured in the film \"A Month by the Lake\". Nearby is one of the grandest hotels in all of Europe, the Villa D\'Este, whose rooms are almost like museum galleries and whose grounds boast Italy\'s only \"floating swimming pool\". 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 (St. John\'s Day, the week end after June 24th 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.

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 Europe. Its narrow cobbled streets, breathtaking views, impeccable homes and glorious villas make it a most enchanting spot to spend your own unforgettable \"Month by the Lake\".

Specialties: Obviously, the lake cuisine is based on fish. Its most famous specialties are: \"misultitt\", that is fish soaked in special containers called \"misolte\"; soused fish, which is first fried and then pickled; crispy fresh water fish and other typical dishes like \"risotto con pesce persico\" (rice with perch) fillet and smoked trout in oil. On the lake shore, particularly in the area called \"Tremezzina\", first quality vegetables like asparagus from Rogano are grown.