Casa Gianna

Description from the owner

It is a two bed property with amazing views across the lake. It is a duplex apartment with separate kitchen, dining room and living room and bathroom on the ground floor and a double and twin bedroom upstairs. There is a large wraparound balcony leading from the living room and a beautiful private balcony from the master bedroom upstairs. It is a short two minute walk to the village.

The property is in a typical Italian house. There is a small public parking area beside the property (50 Mtrs) so parking is not a problem.

The apartment has gas central heating as well as a traditional log fire. Hot water is provided on demand from... the gas boiler. There are two bedrooms. The master bedroom has a queen size bed , ample wardrobe space and a private balcony with amazing views . Perfect for morning coffee or a romantic night cap. The second bedroom is a twin bedroom with a window with views of the lake. The kitchen is a traditional kitchen fully equipped for all budding Italian master chefs. Drinking the water is fine as it comes from the alpine reservoirs. There are is a main bathroom on the first floor and a toilet on the ground floor.

The living room has a table that can seat 6, sofa bed, TV, DVD, hi fi and a large balcony.

The balcony is large enough to enjoy alfresco dining. Every window has great lake views with the best reserved for the picture window in the living room and the two windows in the master bedroom.Read more

Additional Location Information

We are located about 2 mins away from the village centre with a very safe pedestrian path, taking you down through the heart of the village with narrow cobbled lanes and archways, past the local panifico with aromas of freshly baked bread and leaving you in the middle of the Piazza where you can get fantastic ice cream made on the premises at Zoë’s. The village has a small mini market to provide you with all the basics .There is a bank with international cash machine, a small harbour with marina, fishing tackle shop, cable-car station ,to take you into the mountains to the village of Pigra where you can have the experience of Como from the sky (cable cars run every half hour with a break from 12- 2).The village has it own pebble beach with an adjoining pizzeria where you can hire sun loungers etc. or fish to your hearts content. There is a small food market in Argegno on Monday mornings where you can get fresh meat, fish veg and locally produced cheeses. There are numerous small bars in the village and a fantastic selection of restaurants and snack bars and in the surrounding areas (La Grillia 2km up the road that the property is on, is one of our favourites with great value in a beautiful rustic Italian setting).Café Colombo is a tiny beautiful wine bar in the corner of the square with Italian 'tapas' and snacks available all day and a great Happy Hour (Free antipasti )at night. .There is a new restaurant, recently opened in the village piazzo beside the fountain, called La Piazzetta which serves a wide selection of food from pizza (best in Argegno) to fine dining i.e. fresh tuna tar. The owner Christian is very nice and will try to cater for all your dining needs. Others restaurants we recommend are, Villa Belvedere, beside the ferry port and Crotto dei Platini (3 mins down the road towards Brienno).These are situated on the Lake with fantastic food in a magical setting. A delightful new wine bar Enotica Argegno is only recently opened with a fantastic range of good wines available very cheaply. This also serves free antipasti in the evening. Next door there is a pub called Il Covo which stays open till late and is a popular destination for the younger generations.

The village lies on the main lakeside road and therefore is on the main bus route up and down the lake .It also has a ferry port stop for passenger ferries (both slow ferry and hydrofoil) and these are a great way of seeing the lake which is at its best when viewed from the water. You can get daily rambler tickets so you can hop on and off at your leisure.
Bellagio is one town not to miss. Taxis are available from La Piazzetta restaurant in the village Public transport is both inexpensive and reliable and runs very frequently.
Car hire is recommended as you need to explore the lake to optimize your time there although we prefer to laze on the balcony with a bottle of locally produced Prosecco and just watch the world pass by.

Within a 10 min drive north you have a huge selection of beaches, both sand (man made) and pebble all along the lakeside. Swimming there is very safe as there are no tidal currents to worry about. Recommended is a day out on the lake on a boat which can be hired from many companies on the lake. No experience is necessary as the boats are very simple to operate and there are no hazards like shallows or sandbars (Como is the deepest lake in Europe). There are plenty of places to tie up for lunch or you can simply stop the boat are jump off for a swim in the warm freshwater. There is a fantastic lakeside pool (lido) in Menaggio 15min drive with a on-duty lifeguard .There is a large supermarket in Lenno (10 min drive away, north) or a shopping centre with hypermarket in Como town (20 mins drive ,south).For some retail therapy I would recommend Bellagio with current Milan fashions and some good bargains to be had in Italian designer sunglasses, handbags etc .Como is famous in the region for its silk. There is a huge outlet centre called Foxtown (info on net) just over the border in Switzerland (15 mins from Como) where the Milanese go to do serious shopping. Don't forget to bring your passport.
Italian life around the lake starts very early (the local bakery is usually sold out of most of its bread by nine thirty) and ends quite early with dinner starting at about 7and bars closing around midnight. Also everywhere is very child friendly. Getting your timing right is very important as most shops close from 12.30 until 3 and most restaurants finish serving lunch at 2 with not another bite to be got until about 5 when they fire up their pizza ovens. There is a small shop in the village where you can get most of the basics but I suggest you go to in Bennet Shopping Centre in Como Nord where there is a very large supermarket which will cater for all of your needs

Rental fees

What Past Guests Are Saying

• JPDuggan99
  London, United Kingdom

  Beautiful, comfortable, clean.

  Left on 08/15/2011 for a stay in May 2011
  
  

  The propoerty is decorated nicely, with lots of exposed wood in the main floor. The staircase to the first floor is steep, long, and treacherous for young kids. My 2 year old was OK on it, but I was closely watching him anytime he went near it. There was plenty of room for him to run around though, and he enjoyed himself. The balcony overlooks the lake and gives a stunning view for hours. It is a 10 minute walk downhill to the village, but a 20+ minute hike up a steep hill back. I enjoyed the effort, but it might not be to everyone's liking. The village is tiny, but there are a couple grocers that sell basics- pasta, pastries, drinks- but not much else. The ferry is quite convenient. It would have been nice if the kitchen was stocked with some basics, like oil, salt and pepper. Overall, I was very happy with the property and would recommend it.

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Travelers, Tourists, Families w teenagers, Romantic, Families w children, Rugged

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• jr
  dublin

  best holiday ever

  Left on 02/17/2011 for a stay in November 2010
  
  

  stayed here in november with my husband and 2 kids. apartemnt is stunning, clean and the views are breathtaking. its everything u could wish for from a holiday. Argegno is a picture postcard italian village.

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  Detailed ratings for this rental

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

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  Was this review helpful? Yes