Maggiore at Your Feet

Sitting on the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore, this villa is built around the view – and around the water. The pool terrace faces the lake directly, making it an easy place to lose an afternoon, while the landscaped garden keeps things lush and private behind fully fenced grounds. Inside, an open fireplace anchors the living area for cooler evenings, and air conditioning keeps every bedroom comfortable in summer. Arona's cafes and lakeside walk are 4km away, and the Colossus of San Carlo – one of the world's tallest statue interiors – is a thirty-minute walk from there. Milan Malpensa is a twenty to forty-five-minute drive, making this one of the more accessible lake villas from an international hub.

Home truths:
* You're about 1km from the centre of Meina and its nearest shops – a pleasant walk along a quiet village, but you'll want a car for trips to Arona, Stresa, or the ferry terminals at Stresa for the Borromean Islands.
* Air conditioning is only available in the bedrooms, so the living and dining areas may feel warm on hotter summer days.
* For those with reduced mobility, there's a ground floor bedroom and bathroom here.
* The swimming pool isn't fenced.