Villa Giani

We spent a week here with 10 adults and 6 children aged 2-7. There’s plenty of space in the lovely building, and nearly all the rooms are very large. The garden is huge and well kept, with room for everyone, tables and chairs. Beds and rooms were clean, basic kitchen and bathroom supplies were provided, and there’s a washing machine. Parking isn’t at the villa, but it’s nearby. We knew the lake close by wasn’t for swimming; Lecco, Lake Como, and other lakes are 15-30 minutes away. The kitchen and other facilities were enough for 16 people. The villa’s terraced garden makes you wish there were a pool. The two extra basement showers are a plus, though very basic, and the price for a villa this size is generally fair. Still, I can’t understand the almost entirely positive reviews. Much of the kitchen gear and the garden chair cushions were worn out or damaged. Even the kettle needed replacing, and some old bins had been patched with tape. The place felt neglected. Most bedrooms are upstairs under the roof, and despite the thick walls, they were almost unusable in August. Even at night it was unbearably hot. We knew there was no air conditioning, but hadn’t expected the roof rooms to be that uncomfortable. Shelves and little tables were cluttered with old looking objects and containers, which we had to shift to make space for groceries. The bedroom closets were partly filled with spare bedding even though there’s lots of storage in the basement. A caretaker was always around, seemingly focused mostly on the garden. We only learned how to sort and dispose of rubbish after someone explained it later. We got about 90% of it right, plus a bit more, but the property manager still gave us a final lecture. That felt way over the top, especially since the neighbors weren’t perfectly diligent either with general or organic waste. It’s a lovely villa for a one day event, like a birthday with outside catering. As a holiday rental, it has limited appeal until there’s been a lot of clearing out and renovation. The attractive rooms under the roof are only comfortable in summer if there’s air conditioning.

Really beautiful.

Pretty nice.

A top-notch place.