The northern Italian region of Lombardy is home to the whole factory sartorial capital, Milan, home to the designer clothes and shoe factories that form the basis of stylish Italian elegance. about haute couture, it is also home Italy 's beautiful northern lakes, and the luxurious villas that overlook them.
The most famous of the lakes is Como, shaped like an upside down Y Yet the aspiration of the living island is the most popular holiday and characteristics of Italy lakes are characteristic of Italy, up there with the Chiantishire favorites of Tuscany and Umbria, as well as the Riviera of Liguria. The lake 's namesake town of Como lies at the southern end of one of its forks, and is just 45 minutes north of Milan. From here the selection of lakeside towns spreads along the western and eastern shores of the lake, taking in George Clooney & # 39; s adoptive village of Laglio, the pretty town of Tremezzo, and Bellagio, which sits at the center of the lake shore. Lake Como & # 39; s popularity as a holiday destination dates from the Roman era; property prices reflect the history, beauty and fame of the region, as well as the finite supply of lakeside homes.
Rupert Fawcett of Knight Frank says that growing stabilized after strong growth, but that prices "will continue to rise for those very important and unique properties (especially waterfront and especially on Lake Como), which are for sale in a very limited The two-bedroom apartments cost, apartment for apartment for apartment for apartment for apartment for apartment Bedroom modern villa for sale in Mezzegra, where Benito Mussolini and his lover Claretta Petacci (£ 415,000) and ¬ 598,000 (£ 472,000, through Knight Frank, and are just five minutes & # 39; met their end at the hands of the Italian resistance. (£ 1.7 million).
"This is due to the nature of the territory does not allow extensive development of house building" Target is selling a semi-detached town house in Faggeto Lario, just north of Como , with spacious terraces and views of the lake as well as the all-important garage for ¬ 610,000 (£ 482,000).
The second-largest of Italy 's northern lakes is Lake Maggiore, which separates the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont and juts into the Swiss Alps at its northern tip. The most popular resorts, like the pretty town of Stresa, are on the western, Piedmont side of the lake, which is served by the main railway through the mountains to Lausanne and Geneva; but the eastern side, with its proximal to Milan, is still thought after.
Frances Petersson from Jackson Stops & Staff International says: "There seems to be a renewed interest on Maggiore, may it is is the last press or just that people are realizing what a convenient place it is. Water sports clubs, some very prestigious golf clubs "Let's see for more ___ ___ ___ 0 ___ ___ 0 ___ ___ ___ 0 Jackson Stops & Staff has an apartment on Isola Bella, one of the picturesque Borromean Islands in the middle of Lake Maggiore, for sale for ¬ 320,000 (£ 253,000). The spacious first-floor apartment in one of the traditional fisherman & # 39; s houses has two balconies from which to enjoy lakefront views.
On the Lombardy side of the lake, the town of Maccagno is the site of the new Golfo Gabella development, made up of 90 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in five buildings with communal swimming pool, gym, restaurant and on- site rental facilities. Properties start from £ 194,000 through Pure International and there is an option of a private mooring on the lake.
Pat McCreddie at Unicasa, which also markets properties at the Golf Gabella development, says an owner looking to rent their property can expect to receive around ¬ 250 (£ 197) per person per week. "Therefore, if you have a one-bedroom apartment , which can easily sleep four, the income would be £ 1,000,000 per week. "(Summer rents can command up to ¬ 300 (£ 236) per person per week.)
S Bergamo airport or, depending on which side of the lake you are going, Brescia and Verona are also airport options. Like its northerly counterparts, Lake Garda also serves as a luxury Roman holiday destination, and remains a bustle of lakeside resorts including Sirmione on the southern shores and Riva del Garda in the north. Along the south-western shores of The lake, Casa Travella is selling a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment overlooking the center of Padenghe sul Garda for ¬ 330,000 (£ 260,000).
But the northern lakes are close to the Alps and winter skiing, the high rental season is relatively short, running from May to September. But Linda Travella of Casa Travella says investors can realize rental for up to 40 weeks of the year, albeit with lower For example, Travella says a three-bedroom, two-bathroom luxury apartment can go for £ 900 to £ 1,500 per week in high season but this drops to around £ 500 per week in the winter months. If you & # 39; But looking for a more regular income though, over in five per cent rental returns for smaller properties and around four per cent for larger more expensive properties according to the Global Property Guide, an online residential property guide. the Italian rental laws are very prescriptive and do not always work in the best interests of the landlord.
The process of buying is relatively simple and includes a proposal offer. The preliminary contract of sale usually takes about four to six weeks and the completion is when the contractary transfers ownership of the property. New-build properties attract VAT of four per cent for first homes while resale properties incur a registration tax of three per cent.
