Villa Mapelli Mozzi consists of a main villa in the first courtyard and a number of houses and a flat in a second courtyard. The outdoor Pool is located over the road in private grounds that also had a playing field. We stayed in one of the houses in the courtyard in the villa, It was a four bedroomed house with 2 bathrooms in the enclosed courtyard attached to the main villa. Parking for us was out the front. We were met by the owners, Maria and Ian and given a personal tour of the house, amenities and grounds. The owners both spoke very good English which is a major bonus for us as our Italian is poor to say the least.

We have family in the region so used our stay to visit them as well as tour the incredible scenery the area has to offer. I will say a hire car is a must as its centrally located between Milan, Monza, Lake Como, Lake Iseo, and trips to the mountains all of which are a stunning visit and a must if you are in the area. I would say if you are a motor sport fan and plan to use this for the Italian GrandPrix at Monza - book early... and i mean very early as it is fully booked for that week well in advanced.

Like most homes in the region there are two dogs who live in the grounds so if you have a fear of dogs maybe this isnt for you but once you have been introduced to them by the owners they totally ignored you.

We were self catering so our 2nd job after arrival was a trip to the supermarket, about a 10 minute walk to stock up on food and drinks, as it was August that meant a lot of drinks. Bennets supermarket is a large store almost hypermarket size so anything you may have forgotten to pack you can get there.

As i mentioned at the start, we used this as a base to explore. The owners were on hand and extremely helpful with anything we wanted, including advice on the areas to visit. The accomodation is traditional so no aircon but there are the basics - tv, fridge, oven. It was clean and homely and ideal for us.

We stayed a long weekend at Villa Mapelli Mozzi. Our hosts, Maria Lia and Ian, made sure it was the best summer getaway from London we could have hoped for!

The villa itself is magnificent, with original 16th and 18th century elements, updated in the 1920s and exquisitely maintained (and updated) since then. Our hosts' encyclopedic knowledge of the property, the town and the region meant that the weekend was not only relaxing, but also educational. For example, we learned that the reason the property still has a mulberry tree, is that their leaves were once used to feed the silkworms that were raised on the property. We would not otherwise have known about the region's rich tradition of silk making.

A hypermarket with great selection is located a quick walk away, and wonderful restaurants offering Lombard and other Italian cuisines are within a quick drive. The lakefront towns of Bellagio, Como and Lecco are a quick drive away.

The village of Casatenovo is calm enough to feel really relaxing, but conveniently situated close enough to Milan's Linate airport. Getting in and out in our rental car was a breeze.

We also heard from our hosts about (and saw pictures of) the lovely weddings and events they've hosted. Next time we have a destination event to plan, this gem will be at the top of our list of possible venues.