Casa Rezzonico - Lake Como

Accommodates 6+2 — 3+ Bedrooms — 4 Baths

We were enchanted with Casa Rezzonico during our recent inspection visit. You simply can’t get closer to the water than this. Casa Rezzonico is a renovated fisherman’s cottage perched right on a narrow pebble beach along Como’s western shore in Santa Maria Rezzonico, just about 4 miles north of fashionable Menaggio. Views? Fantastic, inside and out.

But before we go any further, a warning. You simply have to accept a steep path down from the village parking lot where you’ve left your car. This path consists of about 80 irregular stone stairs with high risers, and they can be slippery when wet or icy. Keep in mind: luggage which you must carry down to the house yourself (pack light or in several smaller, less-heavy-than-normal bags) and the simple fact that you’ll be coming up and down those stairs daily, sometimes with groceries. The path is in fact a public street, and you’ll meet other folks, many of them senior citizens, negotiating it. The key is to imitate them: go slow. Also: the lakefront is public, not private property. You’re highly unlikely to see other folks; but you might see the occasional walker or passer-by, and they have a perfect right to be there.

So think twice about Casa Rezzonico: But once you’ve decided that you’re up to it, we guarantee you: It’s unforgettable.

And while we’re at it, here’s another thing: While Lake Como is undoubtedly the most famous and elegant of the Italian lakes, it is also in certain ways the most inaccessible. Roads are narrow and winding, and traffic is slow, especially if you, like us, find yourself behind the inevitable truck ahead. If you’re coming to the Lake District to cover “a lot of ground”, we would counsel you to consider Maggiore or Orta. When you’re at Como, you must truly unplug yourself from the ratrace. You can accomplish one thing a day, not more.

One last, practical thing: Don’t rent a 9-passenger van at Lake Como. And don’t think you can use the roads in this area to improve your learning curve on that stick shift. If you haven’t driven a stick shift since you were 18 years old – or if you’ve never driven one – the narrow, winding roads of Lake Como are no place to learn. So you’ll have to pay more – significantly more – for that automatic transmission. Do it. You’ll be far happier.

Now, let’s go back to Casa Rezzonico:

Where are we anyway? Again, we’re right in the old fishing village of Santa Maria Rezzonico, which has a couple of trattorie and simple shopping. Menaggio, 4 miles south, is the place not only for more extensive shopping but also where you’ll be able to catch the boats and hydrofoils up and down the lake between Switzerland and the city of Como, and, perhaps more importantly, across the lake to Varenna and Bellagio. Lugano is about 30 miles, while Milan is about 50 miles away, and the Milan-Malpensa airport is about 90 minutes away, more or less, depending on traffic. You can rent a little boat for yourselves in Santa Maria Rezzonico, and Menaggio has a lakeside sports complex with swimming pool and tennis court. There are also several fine golf courses in the vicinity.

Once you’ve negotiated the steps down to Casa Rezzonico, you’ll discover it’s divided into two parts: a main house plus an adjacent but non-connected separate guest studio for 2 with its own bath. The main house, on the other hand, develops narrowly and upward: On the first level are a dining room with fantastic view and an open-plan kitchen with everything, plus access to an outdoor loggia with table for 6. Up one level are the living room with satellite TV; full bath with jacuzzi and telephone shower; matrimonial bedroom with en-suite bath (shower only); and a wonderful terrace giving out onto the lake. The top floor contains a second matrimonial bedroom with en-suite bathroom (shower) plus a lofted area with two additional twin beds. In essence, this is a house for two couples in the main house; one couple in the adjacent studio; and perhaps a couple of kids. We call it a house for a generous 6+2. Three couples would be in heaven, but Casa Rezzonico works well for all sorts of combinations –– with the exception of anyone with significant, or even slight, mobility issues.

Casa Rezzonico is an upscale, fully modernized accommodation in a fabulous position at an excellent below-market price. We highly recommend it.