Italian Apartments

Handpicked holiday homes around Lake Como and beyond

Italian Apartments is a holiday rental business run by Barrie and Julie Webb, who relocated from the UK to the Lake Como area in 2007 after more than twenty years of holidaying in Italy. The company presents itself as a local specialist for Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Tuscany and other Italian destinations, working from its base in Como.

The portfolio is described as handpicked, with the stated aim of matching each property to the tastes and budget of the traveller. The site frames the choice as ranging from a private-pool luxury villa to a village home where a car can be left behind, and the search tool lets visitors filter by location, number of guests, property type, bedrooms, bathrooms and price.

Where the properties are located

The Lake Como section is the most detailed, with listings organised by village along the lake. Named locations include Argegno, Colonno, Como, Griante, Laglio, Lenno, Lezzeno, Menaggio, Mezzegra, Ossuccio, Pianello del Lario, Sala Comacina, San Siro, Tremezzo and Varenna. Separate sections cover Le Marche, Tuscany, Venice and Puglia.

Examples from the rental catalogue

The listings shown on the site give an idea of the range of accommodation on offer:

• Executive Penthouse Como Condo, with terrace and balcony, configured for three to five guests.
• Villa Gaeta Penthouse, a one-bedroom, two-bathroom air-conditioned lake-view apartment sleeping four.
• Ossuccio Villa on the Lake, a private 180-degree lake-view property with terrace, balcony and garden, sleeping four to six.
• Cortile del Pozzo, a four-bedroom, three-bathroom residence sleeping six to eight, with an overhead aerial video of the residence.
• Apartment 1 at Residence Sala Comacina, described as a spacious air-conditioned family home.
• San Siro Residence, a lake-view home with pool.
• An exclusive Lake Como property with pool, sauna and jacuzzi, listed as Apartment 2 for up to ten guests and Apartment 3 with a 180-degree panoramic lake view.
• Villa 4 at Residence Sala Comacina, a family home sleeping eight.

Filter options on the site also reference features such as terrace, balcony and garden, and the guest capacity filter runs from one to seventeen people.

Services beyond booking a stay

Alongside rentals, the company offers property management for owners thinking of letting an existing holiday home in Italy. The service is presented as covering every aspect of management, from marketing to meeting guests and keeping the property maintained to a high standard. Owners can request a free, no-obligation rental assessment. The company states that it declines more than half of the homes offered to it, citing its own standards and those of its customers.

For guests, the stated service extends to practical arrangements: booking a table at a restaurant favoured by locals, arranging champagne for a celebration on arrival, or advising on where to buy olive oil and cheese at the local market.

Background and positioning

The founders describe more than twenty years of experience in sales and marketing for blue-chip and national companies, which they present as the basis for checking that a property matches what a customer expects. They also point to a reputation for prompt, personal service and refer visitors to reviews and accreditations on Flipkey and Tripadvisor. The site carries a blog with local news and updates.