Villa Cardano Como-Studio, Retreat in Natural Park

The Villa Cardano has been completely renovated and offers today 2 apartments for rent. It is located on a hill in the Spina Verde Nature Park, surrounded by a large garden and only a few minutes from Como and the motorway. The villa is easily accessible by car, train, and plane and offers gated free parking next to the house. It is especially suited for holidays at Lake Como or day trips to Milan or Switzerland or just as a stop-over on the way from Northern Europe to Italy or Southern France. The quiet and modern studio offers a 50 square meter apartment with a spacious living, dining and sleeping area, and a separate big bathroom. The sleeping area, which can be separated by a curtain from the rest of the apartment offers a large double bed (180x200 mm) with two separate mattresses, a nightstand with a bedside lamp and a wardrobe with a clothes rail, hangers and shelves. Here you find also a fireplace which, unfortunately, must not be used due to official regulations. The living area of the studio offers a comfortable leather sofa from where you can watch satellite TV (Astra) with more than 200 channels in various languages. If you adjust the TV, it can also be watched from the bed. The dining area has a massive wooden table (which is one of the few remains from the old villa before renovation), 4 chairs, and a kitchenette which is equipped with an inductive ceramic stove with 2 hotplates, a fridge, a sink, an Italian espresso machine, as well as a basic set of crockery, glasses, cutlery and cooking utensils. The modern and spacious bathroom offers a shower, a washbasin with a sink, a toilet, and a bidet. The studio is bright and has huge windows overlooking the lower-lying garden. To the west, you have a beautiful view overlooking San Fermo and neighboring Switzerland. The city of Como and Lake Como can only be seen from the rooftop terrace. The rooms are usually well-tempered. During fall and winter, they are heated by modern central heating. For the rare occasions in summer when temperatures rise above 25°C you can use a fan. The studio is accessed directly with no steps from the gated yard where you can also park your car. It has also a second entry which leads directly to the idyllic terraced and savaged garden. The whole site consists of more than 2,000 square meters, with most of it being accessible by the guests. Next to the door leading to the garden, there is a small table with two chairs for sitting outside of the studio. Guests of the studio can also exclusively use a terrace which is a few steps away next to the main gate. From here you have also a panoramic view to the west, where you can enjoy the sunset. The highlight is, of course, the rooftop terrace which is accessed through the main house. It is shared with the host and the guests from the penthouse. Most people familiar with Como state, that the roof terrace has the most spectacular view of the city, the lake, and the Spina Verde natural reserve, as it is one of the very few spots where you have a 270° panoramic view with sun all day. The studio can be entered separately from the rest of the villa at ground level with no steps. You can safely park your car for free in the gated forecourt right next to your accommodation. Both the forecourt and the apartment have a code lock, which ensures access at all times. The tenant receives the code for the door codes for the electronic code locks shortly before his arrival. The communication with the host, who is not always on site, is done via Whats App, email or mobile phone. Your host speaks German, English, and Spanish as well as broken Italian and French. Lake Como is a pearl among the northern Italian lakes. The exclusive location near Milan, the mild Mediterranean climate, the proximity to the Alps and the beautiful villa and park architecture have made many celebrities (eg George Clooney, Donatella Versace or many football professionals of the famous Milanese Clubs) buy a house near the lake. In contrast to Lake Garda, which is stormed by tourists in the summer, Lake Como and especially the city of Como with its approximately 80,000 inhabitants is still an exclusive holiday destination. The almost car-free old town of Como, which is separated from the rest of the city by an intact medieval city wall, offers beautiful alleys for strolling through beautiful and exclusive shops, restaurants and boutiques. By foot or via the rack railway you can climb up to the small village of Brunate and walk from there in about 30 minutes walk to the lighthouse with a magnificent view over the lake. If you have a little more time, take a day trip by ferry or speedboat to Bellagio and wonder why Las Vegas has rebuilt this place, even though all the other places on Lake Como are at least as beautiful. It is also worthwhile taking a trip (by car or ferry) to Villa Balbianello (which has served as a backdrop for many movies including Star Wars and James Bond), Villa Carlotta with its famous botanical garden, Villa La Collina (summer residence of former German chancellor Konrad Adenauer), Villa Olmo (hall with changing exhibitions, to reach from the ferry terminal in Como passing by the Volta Temple and the water aerodrome on a nice walk along the lake), Villa Erba (Congress Hall, venue for the filming of the feature film Ocean's Twelve) and Villa d'Este (5-star luxury hotel, the setting for the Concorso d'Eleganza, one of the world's most exclusive classic car events, every spring). Car: The Villa Cardano can be easily reached from Switzerland coming from St. Gotardo or St.Bernardino via the N2 / E35, exit Chiasso Centro (still in Switzerland) or coming from Milan via the A9, exit Como Centro in just 15 minutes. The border with Switzerland and the city center of Como can be reached by car in just 12 minutes. It only takes 35 minutes to get to Milan by car and only 30 minutes to Lugano. The private road to the villa was recently fixed and is now in very good shape. Train: The train stations Como San Giovanni (main railway line across the Alps from Northern Europe to Italy through the new St. Gotardo Base Tunnel), Grandate-Breccia (private rail line from Como-Lago directly to Milan-Cadorna for about 5 € one way, sufficient parking for only 1 € / 24 h) and Chiasso / Switzerland (interesting for Swiss special ticket of the German Federal Railways for about 40 € from almost all stations in Germany) are all only about 5 kilometers away and to be reached in a few minutes by taxi or by car. Plane: Milan Malpensa International Airport is just 50 km away and can easily be reached by car via the motorway in around 35-40 minutes. The domestic airport Milan Linate is 65 kilometers away. Since you have to drive on the motorway ring Milan, where unfortunately there is often a traffic jam, it takes about one hour driving time. Ryan Air's low-cost airport (Milan-) Bergamo is 70 to 90 kilometers away, depending on whether you take the motorway (longer but faster) or the rural roads. The trip takes about one to one and a half hours. Taxi: There are several taxi services in Como. The ride from the train station or the center of Como to Villa Cardano is about 12-18€. Bus: There is a bus line from the center of Como to San Fermo. From here you can walk in about 15 minutes to Villa Cardano. Pedestrian: Although the city of Como and the main train station is not too far, it is not recommended to walk because the street down the hill (Viale per S. Fermo Della Battaglia) has no sidewalks and is not suited for walking. However, many guests of Villa Cardano do not have a car. They take either a taxi or they walk in about 15 minutes to San Fermo, which is a nice little suburb of Como and has a few restaurants, bars, and an ice cream parlor. Although not far from Como, you will hardly find any tourists here! From San Fermo you can also take the bus to Como. Hikers also reach in about 15 minutes the entrance to the natural park Spina Verde. Here there are (poorly signposted) walks to eg. a beautiful viewpoint over Lake Como. The accommodation is accessible in only 15 minutes by car from two motorway exits, the main train station Como San Giovanni or the train station in Chiasso / Switzerland. To Milan city center, to the airport Milano-Malpensa, and to Lugano / Switzerland one needs only about 30-35 minutes by car. The historical center of Como is about 10 to 12 minutes by car or taxi. The walk to the city, although theoretically not very far, is not recommended because of missing sidewalks. Instead, you can walk in 10-15 minutes to San Fermo with some typical cafes and restaurants which are mainly frequented by locals. The villa offers in the main house another fully equipped separate apartment with a kitchen, two bathrooms and up to six beds (three bedrooms), which can also be booked through Airbnb. Please note that this is a ground floor apartment in the garden and in case of open doors in the summer months grasshoppers, ants or other insects can enter the apartment. The windows are equipped with fly screens. A travel baby bed and a high chair are available for one baby in the house on request. Please tell us right in advance to block and provide it for you and please bring your own bed linen for your baby. Como, like many other touristic cities in Italy, charges a tourist tax which is mostly paid on-site directly to the host. Since we have code-locks for self-check-in and I am not always present during your stay, the tourist tax is already included in the price for renting the apartment. This is to say that you do not have to pay extra while you are in Como. Please also check with other accommodations because most of them don't mention a tourist tax and later charge you on-site.