We had the best holiday imaginable in this wonderful place. Nicoletta’s flat is a real home from home with a beautiful, peaceful atmosphere, enhanced by many paintings, her large book collection, the comfy furniture, the good lighting (no harsh white bulbs!) - and of course THAT VIEW! Everywhere there are lovely personal touches which show the care she takes over her tenants, and everything in the flat works. It is large, light and airy, the bedrooms spacious, the beds good (neither extremely hard nor too soft) and there are mosquito nets in the windows and wooden shutters against the sun. (The photo of the master bedroom doesn’t show the two huge windows overlooking lake and garden - it is a beautiful, calm room with stunning views.) BTW even in the July heatwave the flat wasn’t excessively hot and there was always a breeze in the afternoons; we had no problems sleeping at all. Apparently Nicoletta’s own upstairs flat absorbs the heat!

Outdoors one is spoilt for choice with tempting places to sit, depending on the sun or one’s mood: by the elegant pool, on the front terrace with its round table and sofa, on the lawn either in sun or under the trees, on the little kitchen terrace or just below it under the fig tree (the last two were our favourites - they don’t really come out in the photos). The whole garden is tranquil, everything is beautiful and the wide view is totally unspoilt, framed by trees. It is rare to find such a quiet place; impossible to imagine that Rome less than an hour away!

The other huge draw of this house is its beach access to the lake: the houses of the Poggio delle Ginestre own a private beach which is totally uncrowded; it was practically empty when we first went in early July. It’s a grass beach with mature trees for shade and is simply perfect for those like us who love lake swimming. It’s only when you see the state of the public beaches (we once drove all the way round the lake) that you realise what an incredible privilege it is to be allowed to use this beach!

As to the host, Nicoletta is ever helpful if you ask for something, but totally discreet if you want to be left alone. She offers a meal service on request and we took her up on it twice for her superb home-made pasta - highly recommended!

Thank you again for everything, Nicoletta, and see you next year! (We've already booked - hope it's not tempting fate...)