Villas in Valsolda
Valsolda suits families and groups who want an Italian lakeside base on Lake Lugano, right on the Swiss border. Its shore villages include San Mamete and Oria, where Fogazzaro's villa is open to visitors. Shops and nightlife are thin, so Lugano becomes your town for evenings out.
- Villas
- 5
- From, per week
- £498
About Valsolda
Valsolda is a scattered municipality in the province of Como, on the Swiss border about 2 km east of Lugano. It is made up of small lakeside villages, Cressogno, San Mamete, Albogasio, Oria and Santa Margherita, with mountain hamlets above them, including Castello, Puria and Dasio. San Mamete is the municipal seat. The slopes behind hold the largest nature reserve in Lombardy, with deer, chamois and eagles. This is a place for quiet terraces over the water rather than evenings out; Lugano, just across the border, is where you go for more choice. The homes are around San Mamete on the shore; they range widely in size, and some take large groups.
Is Valsolda right for you?
- Best for
- Groups wanting a quiet Italian shore of Lake Lugano
- Not for you if
- You want restaurants, bars and shops you can walk to each evening.
Near Valsolda
Villa Fogazzaro Roi
The writer Antonio Fogazzaro's summer house at Oria, given to the FAI, with his writing desk, a hanging garden and a loggia open to the lake.
Lugano
The Swiss lake city across the border, with passenger boats linking it to lakeside villages, some of which have no road access.
Porlezza
The neighbouring Italian lakeside town on Valsolda's border, where the mouth of the River Cuccio is a protected area.
Getting to Valsolda
Milan Malpensa is about 74 km away, roughly an hour and ten minutes by car. Without a car, take the train from Malpensa to Lugano, or allow about four hours by bus via Como and Menaggio to San Mamete. A car makes the hamlets far easier.
When to go to Valsolda
Late spring to early autumn is the time for the lake, boat trips and terraces. Villa Fogazzaro Roi sets its own opening days, so check before you go. In winter the villages are very quiet, and Lugano is the place for anything open.
Villas in Valsolda
3-star property
3-star property
3-star property
Poggio degli Ulivi
Valsolda, Lake Lugano, Italy
4
2
0
DishwasherMicrowaveParking+7 more
from£114
per night
5-star property
4-star property
Valsolda villa holidays: questions answered
Can you visit Fogazzaro's villa in Valsolda?
You can. Villa Fogazzaro Roi in Oria was given to the FAI heritage trust, which opened it to the public. Inside are the writer's desk and his bedroom, and behind is a hanging garden from the villa's 16th-century core; check opening days before you go.
How far is Valsolda from Lugano?
Very close. The municipality borders the city of Lugano and lies about 2 km east of it, on the Italian side of the Swiss border, so dinner in Lugano is easy if you have a car.
What is the nature reserve in Valsolda?
Valsolda's mountain slopes hold the largest nature reserve in Lombardy, home to deer, chamois, foxes and eagles. The hamlets of Castello, Puria and Dasio sit on the mountains above the lakeside villages.
Which villages make up Valsolda?
On the lake: Cressogno, San Mamete, Albogasio, Oria and Santa Margherita. Higher up: Loggio, Drano, Puria, Dasio and Castello. San Mamete is the municipal seat.
Nearby towns to Valsolda
Written by the TrustedVillas team. Last reviewed November 2026.
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