Italy’s famous lakes have been drawing tourists, expats, writers, and artists to their shores for centuries. The most well-known are probably the northern lakes of Como, Maggiore, and Garda.
But with all their fame, and beauty, comes high prices, especially if you’d like to do a George Clooney on it and live right on the shore of Lake Como. He reportedly bought his 17-century lakeside villa from the Heinz family in the early 2000s for $7 million.
But, as my research team uncovered, you don’t actually need millions to live in a dream home with views of an Italian lake…even ones in the north of the country.
One of my strategies when looking for good-value real estate is to search away from the “popular” and touristy areas. Get off the beaten track and not only will you find hidden gem towns and sights…but you’ll also uncover real estate for a fraction of the cost in more well-known locations.
Take a look at these three lake-view homes in Italy that we uncovered…
I haven’t personally visited or done any due diligence on any of the properties presented here. Always do your own due diligence before considering any real estate transaction.
Colledimezzo, Abruzzo, Italy
Listing for: €100,000 ($111,560)
Lago di Bomba (or Lake Bomba) is located in the Chieti region of Abruzzo. The town of Colledimezzo is at the southern end of the lake and is the location for this 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom townhouse. It has 3,200 square feet of living space. The living room has floor tiles that date back to the 1920s and it opens out to out to an outdoor terrace that overlooks Lake Bomba The kitchen has a fireplace and can be accessed from the terrace making al fresco dining easy. Two of the bedrooms have lake views and the house also has two large cellars which could be converted into more living space. It is also being sold fully furnished.
You’re about a 3-hour drive to Rome from here and about 24 miles from the Adriatic Coast. All the details of this lake-view home are here.
Castiglione Del Lago, Umbria, Italy
Listing for: €180,000 ($200,300)
On the border between Tuscany and Umbria, and surrounded by three lakes, is this 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom, restored country house. Set over 2 floors, and with just over 1,000 square feet of living space, it also has a living room, kitchen, and a separate dining room. At the rear of the house is a pergola and terrace area that overlook the neat garden. The house sits on a lot of almost three-quarters of an acre and the garden slopes down towards Lake Chiusi. There’s also a vegetable garden and two outbuildings, one of which would be suitable to convert into more living space. Perhaps separate living quarters that could be used as a vacation rental.
Alzo di Pella, Novara, Italy
Listing for: €450,000 ($502,000)
This Italian lake-view home is in a higher price range than the homes above. But it’s still good value for what you get…and where you get it. And the views are spectacular. Overlooking Lake Orta, which is just west of Lake Maggiore, this area is something of a secret lake…not many Italians even know it, except for the Milanese, who have been quietly visiting this enchanting lake for decades. It’s known as something of a writers lake. In the 19th century, Friedrich Nietzsche, Lord Byron, and Robert Browning all came here.
This lake-view house has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and just over 3,100 square feet of living space. Set over three levels, it has a living room with fireplace and a dining room. The top level of the house is laid out as an apartment with a living and sleeping area and it has panoramic views of the entire lake.
More photos and details are here.
