Gorgeous property decorated to a very high standard with quality furnishings. Views to die for. You can never have too much prosecco taking in the views from the terrace, or the lounge, or the kitchen, or the dining area .... Whether it was bright sunshine or dark clouds the views were fantastic. Extremely well equipped. Being the owners holiday home too, it had every convenience you can imagine. Excellent location. 5-10 mins drive to Stresa. Whilst some very fit people may walk the sharp incline / distance in the heat, I would suggest that most people need a car (and not a big one ! The narrow roads and "180" degree bends are challenging). The Stresa railway line takes you into Milan - perfect for variety. The property is on 3 floors. This was not an issue for us - but could be for those with bad knees/backs. We loved the bedroom on the ground floor as it was lovely and cool - despite the high temperatures outside. A very special property in so many ways - built and furnished with a great deal of thought and love.

We all had such a wonderful holiday in the beautiful ‘Casa Bella Vista’. Ideally situated
It was really interesting to look at the photographs of the renovation, a labour of love as I imagine it must have been really hard work? It is a really lovely modernised rustic property, a credit to the owners?
The views from Casa Bella Vista are simply stunning with the backdrop of the Alps and every time you look at them you notice something different. Amazing!
The weather was fabulous apart from a tremendous 24 hour storm and another shorter one during the fortnight.
We visited the lovely Borromean islands, our favourites were Isola Madre and Isola Bella.
The train day trip to Milan was really interesting and we managed to see the ‘Last Supper’ painting booked before we arrived on the 'Tick Italy' website. The Duomo is also well with a visit . Warning - If travelling by train which we did to Milan please be advised that you need to get your ticket stamped on the station before travelling by train - we were fined 53 euros! We bought our tickets at Stresa station and there was no explanation given about the process so perhaps purchase your tickets in Stresa
We ate at all the recommended restaurants ‘La Rampolina’ and La Bott were two of our favourites. The information in the the villa was very helpful.
We drove to Lake Orta which was beautiful and well worth a visit.
Mottarone was just amazing the views again spectacular.
The trip to Locarno on the ‘Maggiore Express' was spectacular and I would recommend you to start on the train journey then travel back by boat and although it is three hours on the boat you have the advantage of seeing so many charming places on the edge of Lake Maggiore trip 'dropping off' or 'picking up' passengers.
The house is very well appointed and the telescope in the living area a lovely idea. The views from the roof terrace are magical at any time of the day and particularly stunning at night. There is a lovely church just a couple of minutes walk up the hill.
The layout of the property maximises the stunning views of the lake, Alps and the islands. In short our party of five thoroughly enjoyed our first visit to NW Italy and the Italian Lakes. Brilliant holiday in a stunning house and beautiful location. Would definitely recommend.

We typically stay in hotels but decided to take a chance renting a vacation rental for the first time. We had a car so wanted to experience more of a local feel therefore picked the sweet village of Someraro, primarily because Casa Bellavsita looked so fabulous from their website.

From the very first correspondence I knew I had made the right choice. Joanna (the owner who speaks english) was professional and lovely....she made renting her villa a very easy process. We arrived on a Wednesday afternoon to the most glorious views of Lago Maggiore.....seriously breathtaking! We began our stay at Casa Bellavista up on our rooftop deck with a bottle of Proseco just soaking up Italy!

We had dinner the first night at La Rampolina just down the road. Loved it and would highly recommend it....(one of Joanna's recommendations). We ended up staying in for dinner the next 2 nights because the view and feel of the villa were so nice. It was just the 2 of us and agreed how perfect it would be if we had had another couple or 2. Very Cozy and Highly Recommend!!!! Can't wait to go back.....

We visited Stresa last year and spent a week at this beautifully presented villa. What struck me was that the family who had rebuilt the villa from a fairly deteriorated state had done so for the love of the region and for their own wonderful childhood memories spending holidays there. The villa felt more like a home that we were warmly welcome in rather than a holiday rental.

Coming from Australia and, first time ever in Europe, we felt well prepared and informed on what to expect, from the information provided by Joanna. It is easy to get around despite the really narrow streets which is a bit scary to Aussies at first.

We really enjoyed this experience and Casa Bellavista was everything we hoped for and more - the views were just breath taking from nearly every room and the home has been finished with high quality fittings, fixtures and appliances.

Thank you for your hospitality Joanna :-)