Lake Idro, stories from the past in an old alpine farmhouse

The road is empty and the car meanders through the mountains and along the lake shore, overlooking the calm water, surrounded by fir trees and a few alpine villages scattered here and there. We are at the Casa d’Idro, in the municipality of Idro, on the western shore of the lake in a panoramic and sunny position.

The oldest structure of the House dates back to the period between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance. We are talking about the 15th century and we immediately notice the conformation of the building, with the ground floor and its portico, the typical stables, a series of storerooms and cellars, while on the first floor, as was customary in the past, we find the living quarters, barns and other rooms that once served the function of extra storage rooms, but which today could be rooms, communal spaces or other, depending on how one wants to re-imagine the distribution of space.

Crowning the ancient farmhouse is a fund, part of which is used for grazing, part for fodder production, with an orchard, wood and vegetable garden. In short, an ancient farmhouse worthy of a setting for a Boccaccio tale.

In fact, the farmhouse features architectural elements and artefacts that constitute significant evidence of local history and art, which in this case are also recognised as being of immeasurable cultural and architectural value.

It has been years, if not decades now, that the world has completely changed, and although one would like to tell a long story of ancient intrigues, love affairs, victories and defeats, a tale worthy of an epic novel, we are forced to return from our journey through time and note that, as is the case in many cases, modernity has brought about the cessation of farming and livestock breeding, leading to the loss of the land’s peculiar vocation.

But, as we all know, one door closes and another one opens. The current owners, who are engaged in other activities, have always, in keeping with family tradition, kept the building and grounds in good condition. In fact, they have carried out numerous maintenance works on the main building, also at a structural level, and have periodically mowed the grass, cut wood and cared for the fruit trees, keeping the entire property in good condition.à.

In the light of all this, the possibilities for functional recovery are many, from a tourist-restaurant and restaurant vocation to socio-healthcare or senior housing, but also purely residential, all of which obviously implies the restoration of the main building with a redistribution of the internal spaces and a feasibility assessment of the construction of new facilities to increase the opportunities and services to be offered depending on the final destination.

Here, along the magnificent Lake Idro, in an old house full of history and ready to welcome new and even more beautiful ones.