San Felice del Benaco · Lago di Garda

Tree House Lake Garda

A 1960s modernist villa under a sixty-year-old cedar

Dolce far niente

Think of Palm Springs, then move it to an Italian lake. A low white house from the sixties, renovated in 2023, a long lawn, a turquoise pool, and the mountains doing their thing across the water.

Our favorite plan here is no plan at all: a swim, a book, a long lunch in the shade, and sundowners on the roof.

The long white entrance facade of the 1960s architect villa with its stone wall and Mediterranean garden — The entrance front, pure 1960s

Level I — The Garden Level

Palms, pines and the sound of the pool

Five thousand square meters of park, planted long before any of us: old palms, cedars, pines, magnolias, figs and olive trees. The lawn runs long and green down to an 11 × 3.5 m saltwater pool.

At the far end, a marble roundel disappears under wisteria every May. Tucked away, a separate 60 m² apartment with its own entrance, a four-poster bed, a desk, a little kitchen and an Iroko-wood terrace — for the friend who likes a door of their own.

Outdoors

Striped deck chairs and a fringed parasol under the old cedar in the garden — Deck chairs under the cedar

The 60 m² garden apartment with four-poster bed, round table and doors to the terrace — The garden apartment

The pool and sun loungers with Lake Garda shimmering beyond the trees — The lake, just beyond the trees

Close-up of purple salvia flowers in the villa garden — Salvia in bloom

Close-up of the turquoise water and steps of the saltwater pool — Saltwater blue

White calla lilies in the garden in the soft evening light — Calla lilies at dusk

The light-filled 80 m² living area with white sofas, coffee table and open kitchen beyond — The living room, white and full of light

Level II — The Main Level

Long lunches, slow evenings

Eighty square meters of living and dining room, all glass and light, with a fireplace for the cooler months. The kitchen is white Bulthaup with Miele appliances; the furniture is Vitra and Gervasoni, the lights Ingo Maurer.

Brigitte Bardot greets you at the door — a black-and-white portrait from the sixties. Outside, the marble terrace and a teak table that has seen a lot of very long lunches. Four en-suite bedrooms in white and natural tones.

The interiors

Black-and-white 1960s portrait above two rattan chairs and a wooden side table in the entrance hall — The portrait that greets you at the door

White kitchen with island and wooden bar stools, open to the living room with white sofas — Kitchen and living room, one bright space

Ingo Maurer Zettel'z chandelier of handwritten paper notes, with the garden beyond the window — Ingo Maurer's paper notes

Living area with a carved white sideboard, Berber rug, a chair with sheepskin and photographs on the wall — Berber rug, carved wood, good books

The white Bulthaup kitchen with island, wooden bar stools and Miele appliances — The Bulthaup kitchen

White four-poster bedroom with linen curtains, carved sideboard and garden view — A four-poster in white and natural tones

En-suite bathroom with bathtub, double vanity and windows onto the garden — En-suite with bathtub and double basin

Porcelain parrot candlesticks, an orchid and a printed candle on a white table — A touch of the tropics

A brass mobile in front of a row of colorful framed travel prints — Brass leaves and holiday colors

Coffee, biscuits and a small vase of flowers on a silver tray, a linen throw on the chair — Coffee in the afternoon

Level III

Rise through the opening…

Looking down through the curved white railing of the circular opening to the terrace below

The Iroko-wood roof terrace in the shade of the cedar, with Acapulco chairs and views of Lake Garda

Level III — The Roof, under the Cedar

Sundowners in the shade of a giant

The cedar has been growing for sixty years, straight up through a circle cut into the terrace roof. Up here: 80 m² of Iroko wood, a few Acapulco chairs, and the whole lake — Monte Baldo opposite, the Rocca di Manerba to the south.

Colorful Acapulco chairs and cushions on the roof terrace under the cedar, Lake Garda behind — Acapulco chairs and the lake

Panoramic sunset over Lake Garda and its mountains, seen from the villa's roof terrace — The view that makes everyone go quiet

The location

Down the olive path to the water

Bay of Porto San Felice: 300 m (0.2 mi), four minutes on foot
San Felice del Benaco village: approx. 2 km (1.2 mi)
Golf course and shops: about 10 minutes by car
Verona airport (VRN): approx. 60 km (37 mi) · about 50 min
Milan Bergamo airport (BGY): approx. 90 km (56 mi) · about 1 h 10 min
Venice airport (VCE): approx. 170 km (106 mi) · about 1 h 50 min
Milan Malpensa airport (MXP): approx. 180 km (112 mi) · about 2 h

Driving times are approximate and may be longer in peak summer.

Getting here

Every stay is arranged personally. Tell us your dates and we'll reply within 24 hours.

Enquire about your dates