A luxury house to rent in Lake Como, Italy

An extraordinary, beautifully renovated mountaintop villa overlooking fabulous Lake Como.

A fine example of art nouveau architecture, Villa Pigra sits at 881m and overlooks Lake Como, the valleys and the surrounding snow-capped mountains.

Built in 1909, it has been renovated to the highest standards offering 1,231 square metres of living space. The chic zen interiors are sleek and minimalist and set off the truly breathtaking views.

With no immediate neighbours it is an oasis of calm, set near to the pretty village of Pigra, which has a few restaurants, a tennis court and its own cable car station which runs down to Argengo and the villa’s private boat and mooring.

This is a perfect place for hiking or mountain biking and six mountain bikes are available at the house.

The villa sits on a sprawling 4.5 acres of alpine gardens with a roof garden terrace on top of the pool house – the perfect sunbathing spot.

The main house terrace, and the poolside, offer wonderful al-fresco dining opportunities.

Little ones can be entertained in the playground and treehouse area.

The house comes fully staffed and with the indispensable addition of a boat with a captain for exploring the lake (NB: the boat is a separate charge).

A luxury house to rent in Todi, Umbria, Italy

A particular favourite of ours, this house is refined, sophisticated and elegant, and perfectly placed for enjoying all that this region of Umbria has to offer.

Casa Collina is perched high above the rolling Umbrian hills with stunning views on every side. Situated only ten minutes from Todi, it is perfectly placed for exploring the many historic sights of Umbria.

The house was newly built using recycled materials from the region and has been elegantly furnished with lovely pictures and antiques.

Inside it’s very high-tech with a great music system, a good TV/cinema room and a spa with a steam bath, plunge pool and well-equipped gym. Massages can be arranged.

One double bedroom suite is on the ground floor and enjoys its own private terrace. The other three rooms are on the first floor and all are spacious and light and have amazing views. The fifth bedroom is downstairs and is in effect a small apartment with a shower room and a kitchenette. There is also a staff bedroom on this floor.

The big family kitchen is well equipped and has a dining area to one end, which leads into an elegant sitting room with a working fireplace and large French windows opening out onto both sides of the house.

The garden has been designed by Arabella Lennox Boyd and is set on two levels. The top level has an enchanting, independent garden house with large, comfortable banquettes and armchairs and a fireplace for cooler evenings. There is a great outdoor kitchen area with a barbecue, pizza oven and two different shady dining areas.

A dramatic infinity pool is on a lower level and set flush to the lawn, with magnificent views of the hills and a shady area for sun beds and other amenities, including a fridge and a changing room.