Villa Mirella

Villa Mirella Description: Villa Mirella is one of Italy’s national monuments. It was built in the 1700’s by a famous Count who was granted the property by a Northern Papal family. Many famous residents have passed through including some of Italy’s most renowned opera writers. The Swiss architect, Felice Soave, designed the house to have a simple symmetrical façade with a richly elaborate interior. The ceilings on the public rooms as well as in the bedrooms are ornately decorated and painted. The floors are a beautiful mixture of Cotto from Lombardy, Seminato, and dark antique wood. The villa is filled with beautiful paintings, sculptures, rugs, tapestries, and Venetian chandeliers. There are eight master bedrooms in the villa, all unique and beautiful. They all boast high and carved ceilings, antique floors, and spectacular bathrooms. The rooms are filled with antique furniture, Persian rugs, Venetian chandeliers, and beautiful art. Some of the bathrooms have Philippe Starck designed wash basins, bathtubs, and showers, while others have large, antique French and English trough bathtubs and ornate wash basins. There are two beautiful pianos in the villa. One is a perfectly restored antique Bluethner that once sat in the Leipzig Concert Hall. It rests in the Music Room, which is a spectacular room with 30-foot high ceilings, Albertolli frescoes, and stunning views of the lake. The second piano is a player piano that plays jazz, modern, and classical music on its own. Villa Mirella is child friendly. A wonderful outdoor play area with a beautiful wooden slide, swing set, and rope climb sit in the back garden next to the kitchen. There is also a large children’s playroom on the first floor next to the music room and a small children’s play room next to the kitchen. Ground Floor: Entrance is through 2 tall, large, iron sculpted doors directly into the foyer where a grand 2-wing staircase, anchored by two, 15-foot tall stone pillars and large stone flower pots appears. The ground floor, completely laid with marble, is divided into 2 wings. The ground floor of the right wing of the property, brings you directly into the large living room with various seating areas, a fireplace, grand piano, antique furniture, and crystal glassware set, all overlooking the immense and beautiful garden. The living room leads into a large, arched-ceiling, formal dining room with fresco ceilings and dining table for 10. There are sterling silver candelabra, Murano glass port glasses, large mirrors, and great garden views. The dining room is an oval shaped room with 16 marble columns. The most important fresco in the villa sits above the dining room table. It is a fresco by Andrea Appiana who was Europe’s foremost neoclassical artist at the turn of the 19th C. The dining room, directly ahead, leads either of two large kitchens. The interconnecting kitchens are large and spacious and fully equipped. They boast subzero refrigerators and wine coolers, Viking and Gaggeneau ovens, grills and ranges, 4 garbage disposals, 2 dishwashers, a vegetable and fish steamer, and a fryer. The counter tops are made of Verona marble and the cabinetry is richly decorated, hand-carved wood. The most prominent feature of the kitchen is two, original, 8-foot high stone fireplaces and bear the original family’s emblem. The first enjoys a large fireplace with 6-range stovetop with grill, toaster, 3 ovens (one convection), a double sink, and an island work station with wine refrigerator and blender. The second also boasts an island work station format, with a double sink, large oven, triple grill, toaster, and ice-cream maker. The dining room leads, to the right, into another large open-format living & dining room where the seating area, with couches & chairs, a fireplace, flat screen TV, & fresco ceilings, all overlook the garden. The dining part of the living room, consists of an informal dining area with a long, wood dining table for 10 and a large, Murano glass chandelier hanging overhead between an array of antiques and flower curtains hanging from the windows. The Tuscan dining room is more casual and filled with period Tuscan furniture. There is also a ½ bathroom with antique china sink & toilet. The left wing of the ground floor enjoys a full bathroom with antique tub leading into a living room & study with leather couches & chairs, a fireplace, a computer station with high-speed internet, and great garden views. The billiards room, with a hand-carved English snooker table, is situated next to the living room, leads directly into the living/theatre room with a 72” flat screen TV, large surround sound speakers, an “L” shaped couch, fireplace, and full bar with mini-refrigerator and sink. There is also a large selection of DVD’s for guests’ enjoyment and a ½ bath with antique, China sink and toilet. The room sports the painted crest of the villa on its ceiling, while an internal, wrap-around balcony looks down on the room from the 2nd floor above. There is also a Pizzeria – a large, casual room with a massive, original fireplace and an antique brick pizza and foccaccia oven. First Floor (3 bedrooms): The first floor, on the right wing, enjoys a living room/dining room with a TV with DVD & VCR player, a dining table for 6, fireplace, telephone, Murano glass light fixtures, fresco ceilings, and great garden views. This leads into an even larger, grand living with antique furniture and grand piano, double fireplace, fresco walls & ceilings, Murano glass fixtures, and garden views. The living room boarders the Master Suite, with large, Roman motif king bed with Murano glass chandelier hanging overhead, and a marble fireplace. The super-large, en-suite bathroom has a double sink, antique bathtub, and large, double seat shower and separate toilet area. The left wing of the first floor holds the gym with exercise bike, stair master, weight bench, kicking/punching bag, small free weights, an abdominal ball, elliptical running machine, a TV, VCR, & DVD player, and stereo system. There is also a bedroom suite (‘Della Nonna’), which boasts a separate reading room with fireplace and great garden views leading into the bedroom (a double with en suite bath with antique tub. This side of the wing also sports a small study, which leads into a 3rd bedroom (‘Camilla’) with sitting area and queen size Baldachin bed and parquet floors. It is very cozy and enjoys an en-suite bathroom with antique bathtub, double sink, and large, glass shower. Second Floor (8 bedrooms): The left wing on the second has a variation of bedrooms and public spaces with garden & lake views. There is a large, blue-motif queen bedroom (‘Bisbino’) with en-suite with antique bathtub; a small, French double bedroom with small fireplace, but no en-suite facilities (good for children); a reading room with black couches, fireplace, garden & lake views; a twin bedroom (‘Sant Agata’) with sitting area and great views, situated across from a sauna room; 2, single bedrooms (good for guest staff), which, together with Sant Agata, share one, large bathroom with separate bathtub and shower with fireplace. The right wing of the second floor is also a mixture of bedrooms and public spaces. ‘Sonnabula’ is a double bedroom with en-suite with bathtub and separate toilet room. There is a reading room with fireplace, couches and desks and an internal balcony, which overlooks the grand living room on the first floor, from which various bedrooms sprout. ‘Bellini’ is a queen double with sitting area and enormous, en-suite with jacuzzi oval bathtub, separate shower and double sink. ‘Norma’ is another large, French double with sitting area and en-suite with bathtub and great lake & garden views. Villa Neda (guest villa) Description: Villa Neda is a 4,000 square foot (450 square metres) villa that sits atop Lake Como. It is a beautiful Villa made of Moltrasio stone and wood. It was designed to view the Lake. All 6 bedrooms have lake views. There are three bedrooms with queen-sized beds, one bedroom with two twin beds, one bedroom with a European double bed and one bedroom with a single bed. Villa Neda is a 2-story villa, with entrance from both floors, and decorated with fine antiques and elegant Italian designer furniture. Four of the bedrooms have beautiful en-suite bathrooms. The top floor enjoys an open format with ½ bath in the foyer, modern living room with leather couches & chairs, a glass fireplace, flat screen TV, DVD player, and stereo. It accesses an external dining area overlooking the lake with table for 6. The ceramic tile floor dining room enjoys a dining table for 8 and direct access into the kitchen. The kitchen is large, modern and airy with every imaginable amenity. The kitchen units are an elegant stainless steel and in the centre is an antique Tuscan eating table. There is a large refrigerator, 6-range stovetop, large oven, coffee machine, ice maker, blender, toaster, microwave, and dishwasher. There is also a small French double bedroom off of the kitchen, with its own entrance, and ½ bath. The 2nd and 3rd bedrooms are a queen and king, both overlooking the lake, both with en-suite facilities (one with separate bath & shower, the other with bath/shower). The garden floor also boasts 3 bedrooms. A double with fireplace and en-suite with bath/shower, a double, and a twin, both with lake views and parquet floors, sharing an external bathroom with shower. There is also a laundry room with washer and dryer. Additionally, Villa Neda has cable TV, mobile and fixed telephony with a computer and broadband Internet connection. There are two beautiful fireplaces in the Villa. One is in the sitting room, which looks out over the lake, and the other is in one of the bedroom suites. Villa Neda uses only the finest linens, towels and robes. Each of the beds has goose down comforters and pillows and guests will enjoy fluffy robes during their stay. Gardens, Pool, and Externals: The gardens of Villa Mirella and Villa Neda are considered some of the most historic and beautiful on Lake Como. You will enjoy the fresh flowers that come from the Cutting and Rose gardens. There is also an extensive Vegetable Garden and Orchard so you can enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables throughout your stay! The garden is divided on 5 different levels and abounds with everything from lemon to olive to orange trees. The Swimming Terrace is spectacular. The terrace is filled with lemon and olive trees and ample area for sunbathing with sun-lounge chairs. There is also a glass dining table for 6 and a pool side bathroom with shower. The views of Lake Como are stunning from the terrace, which is the warmest part of the garden. Overlooking the swimming pool is Sant’ Agata’s 12th Century bell tower. There is also a beautiful 200-year-old greenhouse on the terrace. There are 11 working fountains on the property that add cool freshness and sound to the hot summer afternoons. Villa Mirella’s and Villa Neda’s property ends at the lake’s shore. The dock area is beautiful. It is encased in antique Moltrasio stone, both on the walls and on the steps leading to the water. The dock area is filled with roses, creeping jasmine, and oleander. Two boats are docked at the private dock and are available for rent (a 32-foot hand crafted, mahogany wood boat and a 19-foot motorboat). All utilities and daily maid service included in the rental. Bicycles, tennis rackets, and other sports equipment are available at guests disposal.