Villa Crespi

Top choice in Orta San Giulio


Bagging the prize for the Italian Lakes' most extravagantly ostentatious villa (no mean feat) is this over-the-top Moorish creation in Orta topped with an aqua-coloured onion-dome spire. The caprice was the madcap design dream of the rich Crespi textile clan expertly executed by a local Italian architect.

Inside is as visually stimulated as out: velvet walls, stucco, horseshoe arches and four-poster beds, all complemented by a spa, a restaurant and manicured green grounds. The downside (if there is one) is the location isn't great – a 1km walk from Orta's main action.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Orta San Giulio attractions

1. Sacro Monte di San Francesco

0.3 MILES

Beyond the lush gardens and residences that mark the hill rising behind Orta is a kind of parallel ‘town’ – the sacro monte, where 20 small chapels…

2. Chiesa dell'Assunta

0.44 MILES

A short walk uphill from the Piazza Mario Motta on the waterfront, this church dates back to the 15th century, though it was rebuilt in the 1700s. It has…

3. Piazza Mario Motta

0.5 MILES

Here's a picture of how life really should be lived: rise early and head for a coffee on Piazza Mario Motta, gazing across at the sun-struck Isola San…

4. Orta San Giulio

0.51 MILES

Overlooking the forest-lined banks of the shimmering Lake Orta, this shore-hugging village has abundant allure. It occupies a kidney-shaped peninsula with…

5. Isola San Giulio

0.78 MILES

Anchored barely 500m in front of Piazza Mario Motta is Isola San Giulio. The island is dominated by the 12th-century Basilica di San Giulio, full of…

6. Basilica di San Giulio

0.81 MILES

This atmospheric church is the main attraction on the tiny Isola San Giulio and was built over various periods dating back to the 9th century. Its bell…

7. Monte Mottarone

6.2 MILES

The cable-car trip up Monte Mottarone (1492m) from the northwestern end of Stresa offers pretty views over Lake Maggiore, including Isola Bella and Isola…

8. Sacro Monte di San Carlo

6.37 MILES

When Milan's superstar bishop San Carlo Borromeo (1538–84) was declared a saint in 1610, his cousin Federico ordered the creation of a sacro monte in his…