“One of a kind vacation”
Orta, and this house are truly one of a kind. Our immediate family stayed for a week during the spring of 2013 and it was an unforgettable experience. The house is spacious with spectacular views throughout, old world charm meets modern amenities and well selected furnishings. The island is quiet and unbelievably beautiful. Truly unmatched and unforgettable - GO!
Response from the owner
Thank you very much, we strive to modernise within our possibilities as much as possible, guarantying as much personal comfort as possible, renovating the linen and bedding, adding extra luxuries such as bedwarmers for the colder months and heaters for the toilets all year round, and decorating with designer objects, such as the illumination pieces, as after all we are in a country famous for its design! Thanks also to many of our guests we now find the kitchen furnished with a most varied set of utensils, so complete that a few we are not 100% certain of their use, to help make your home cooking as pleasurable and convenient as possible.
“Fantastic house for large groups in a beautiful location!”
The Villa is located on an island in Lake Orta. It is quite, peaceful, and set in one of the most beautiful places you will ever visit. The Villa has so much character and is right across the water from a great town with so many delicious restaurants. Our family spent a week there after a wedding and it was great to wind down and relax.
Response from the owner
Thank you so much, not only is it a perfect place to relax after a wedding, it's now becoming a popular location for weddings, especially among foreigners, ever more often do you see couples in the main square having their photograph taken with the island as the backdrop or being rowed around the island in one of the characteristic wooden row boats. It certainly adds a fairy-tale mystique that is completed by the singing of the nuns, who live in the monastery on centre of the island, on Sunday mornings at mass in the ancient basilica, an experience open to all and not to be missed.
“Magical Island in Northern Italy”
I have stayed at this Villa a few times and each and every time is just as magical as the first! The house is so charming and afternoons spent reading in the garden or fishing or just having a glass of prosecco and chatting with family and friends makes you feel like you have discovered the secret to life. The village is filled with great little shops (ranging from clothing to artwork to jewelry) and restaurants and has an open market once a week to shop for souvenirs. I will certainly go back to visit soon and I know I won't be disappointed!
Response from the owner
Thank you very much. We're so glad you appreciate the amenities that Orta now offers, over the years the quantity, quality and range of shops has improved enormously, after all the region is famous for its gastronomic specialities and improved catering is symptomatic of progress. Apart from the plethora of all types of wine bars, ice-cream shops, restaurants (in particular Venus), fashion, art, jewellery, and all the related events organised by the borough, we have now even a famous Italian TV chef, Antonino Cannavacciuolo at nearby Villa Crespi, near the Orta roundabout. He's the equivalent of Gordon Ramsey, without the swearing!
“Heaven on earth!”
I'm almost afraid to write a review as I don't want it to be booked when we want to return! The sun shimmering off the lake in the morning, sitting in the garden drinking my lavazza coffee listening to the church bells ringing is a memory I call on whenever I am stressed. We took our 2 boys 11 & 13 at the time and they had the time of their life going out in the boat, fishing, feeding ducks. A chance to disconnect from technology and relax. The village is amazing, the people friendly, the food delicious - can't recommend highly enough.
Response from the owner
Thank you so much. We are so pleased that the boys enjoyed the lake, it is a vaunt that the water is so clean now, after the definitive depuration interventions in the 80s. There are lots of fish, so much so that on Sundays many try their luck trying to catch the renown perches and pikes. Some have also put traps for freshwater prawns, which evidences the cleanliness of the water. Apart from all the birds which we love to feed too, often the swans will pass by when the lake is quiet and that's our favourite moment. We make sure that we'll always got biscuits for them!
“Another Magical stay at Lake Orta”
I have stayed at Barrow residence on Isola San Giulio for 16 years. I have taken family and friends at many different times of the year and we always feel like crying the day we leave.
It is a private residence with lovely garden with a pergola with grapes and roses and dining table.
There are 3 bedrooms 2 with bath ensuite and a dine in kitchen and lovely living room with fireplace for cool evenings. The rental includes a small motorboat to let you visit other villages along the lake and commute to the village (4 minutes) away. There is one restaurant on the island and a lovely convent with 80 Benedictine nuns in cloister. On Sundays they sing at the 11 o'clock Mass and it is magical. There are great shops and restaurants in the village and they are so friendly and helpful.
Response from the owner
It's always a great pleasure to have you, the house has become your home too over the years and we treasure the useful objects you've left behind to help enhance the facilities. We have always made jam from the grapes and the figs from the garden, but now thanks to you we have a new specialty with which greet future guests, San Giulio chutney! We are increasing the species of spice plants that can be found in the garden; rosemary, sage, oregano, majorana, mint, basil and chives, to enrich the culinary experience as much as possible. We'll be planting a banana tree, not that we ever expect fruits, but to use the leaves in the future to cook fish on the new BBQ grill, obviously made in USA! ;)
