House Hunting in Italy: A Perch Over Lake Como for $1.5 Million

An Elegant Four-Bedroom Home in Northern Italy

$1.51 MILLION (1.5 MILLION EUROS)

This four-bedroom, six-bathroom villa sits on an embankment in Brunate, a village in northern Italy perched above the city of Como and its famed lake.

Built in 1908 in the Italian “Liberty” style, a variant of Art Nouveau, the property has been owned by the same family for 115 years, and was used as a vacation home until 1960. It was updated in 2013, with the owner noting via email that he opted for a “conservative” renovation, “maintaining the characteristic Liberty style” and preserving the original terrazzo flooring in all but two rooms. The project included adding bathrooms to two bedrooms, creating a five-car parking area and installing irrigation in the garden.

Built on a stone retaining wall with an integrated entry into the unfinished basement, the three-story house has two floors of living space and a third-floor apartment with a separate entrance and roof terrace. The apartment can be rejoined with the rest of the house by reopening an internal staircase.

Ceiling heights of more than 12 feet and large windows invite light into the space. The larger of two living rooms opens onto a ground-floor veranda through double doors with period detailing. The smaller living room opens to a balcony with lake views. The large kitchen features terrazzo floor and wood wainscoting, and has been modestly updated. A separate dining room is through an open-plan corridor.

Three en suite bedrooms occupy the second floor, along with a second half bath. The primary bedroom features a frescoed ceiling and a small balcony with a lake view.

The top-floor two-bedroom apartment includes an eat-in kitchen and a terrace large enough for outdoor dining. The main bedroom’s beadboard ceilings and wood rafters evoke an attic feel, and the window features more period decorative lattice work. A second room, currently used as a bedroom, is suitable for a home office. The top-floor attic, not authorized for occupancy, has a half bath and cedar-paneled walls and ceilings.

Outside, the house features a terrace and a solarium with dining and seating space. A small swimming pool sits above ground in the garden behind cypress trees and near an iron pergola.

The house is a three-minute walk to the historic funicular rail system connecting Brunate with the city of Como, some 2,300 feet below on the lake shore. Brunate, a village of about 1,800 residents 35 miles north of Milan, is known for its density…