Lake Como needs no introduction, but what sets this property apart is its ancient cave-turned-dining-room, a 14th-century, vaulted stone space that gives the residence its name. The stately lakeview residence stretches up over its namesake mountain hollow, fully renovated by its Danish owners. They have preserved the original Moltrasio stone floors, coolly updated its five bedrooms in a warm, saturated version of Scandi-chic styling with Høie beds, and refurbished the upstairs living room, terraces, and double garden lounges with Nordic designer pieces by Morsø, TRIMM, and Cane-line.

A stately villa reimagined by an enterprising Danish couple who left the north behind for life on a boat in Italy, Villa Crotto is named for the 14th-century cavern it sits atop. With the glinting waterfront and a sweet crescent beach 75 meters outside its front door, the villa for rent in Italy offers both a classic Lago di Como retreat and a unique, one-of-a-kind refuge created for warm, intimate dining and cozy slow living.

Its alluring upper-level living room showcases designer furnishings and a generous fireplace. It overlooks the villa’s two gardens, one an intimate, mountainside lounge with Danish designer furniture and passages to smaller outdoor oases, the other a luxurious pool garden created for lounging in the sun, bathing in the dramatic views, dining under the stars via a fully-equipped outdoor kitchen.

Bedrooms are inviting spaces decorated with vintage, auto-rally-inspired art made luxurious by shuttered windows that frame the stunning lake views and matte-plaster walls in soothing, earthen shades. Baths are en-suite, and a powder room is tucked into the home’s original spiral staircase, created from locally quarried Moltrasio stone. The downstairs kitchen is a generously equipped, neatly tiled country-style kitchen with a prep island and pretty view set right off the home’s centerpiece, its ancient cellar that gives the villa its name. 

Predating the villa, the cavernous, vaulted room once served as a natural refrigeration space for food and wine storage, and it even provided safe haven for Jews in WWII. Today, it’s the home’s showpiece, a stunning vaulted dining room and tasting cellar with an intimate ambience. Cushioned bench seating lines one side of the room, a thermal glass-enclosed cellar fills the end, and a central dining table seating 16 dominates the cavern’s center, the rocky arches overhead creating a dramatic space for intimate gathering.

AROUND

Located within the village limits of Carate Urio, this villa for rent in Italy sits 75 meters above the lake’s lapping waters on the western bay of Lake Como. The town’s boat station allows for launches onto the water, and the villages of Moltrasio and Laglio are situated along the shore nearby, with the lake’s luxurious namesake community, Como, located only 10 kilometers from the home. 

Carate Urio is named for the two original communities that occupied the area—one (Urio) was the more mountainous enclave, the other Carate Lario, was set on the lakefront. Today the town’s narrow streets are home to two fresco-covered churches and to the ruins of Urio’s castle, with its garden that extends to the waterfront. 

Lake Como itself is Italy’s third-largest lake. where celebrities play and luxury goods and services fill waterfront boutiques and shops occupying elegant, Renaissance buildings. Gastronomy is at the forefront of lakefront life, both at refined, fine-dining establishments and within simple mountain taverns serving regionally produced charcuterie, cheeses, wines and herbal-infused eau de vies. 

Abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation are part of the lake’s charms, too, including boating, hiking, swimming, fishing, and touring the alpine trails and hillside villages that cling to the slopes.

LOCATION

Carate Urio, Lake Como, Italy. Nearest airport: Milan (35 minutes)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: April to October