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My favourite Airbnb: an alpine hamlet poised between lake and sky
For centuries, Italy’s great lakes have traded on seduction, drawing royalty, artists, writers and film stars with promises of easy elegance and languid afternoons. The most storied, of course, is Lake Como, its grand villas and manicured gardens providing the backdrop to countless Hollywood films. But just 40 miles west lies Lake Maggiore, which, despite its quieter reputation, offers a unique character all of its own.
The second largest of Italy’s lakes, Maggiore unfurls like a wobbly dolphin across Piedmont, Lombardy and, at its northernmost edge, Switzerland’s Canton of Ticino. I came across it on a search for disconnection: a mountain bolthole where I could slow my mind and recalibrate before the New Year, in the company of my best friend and the great outdoors.
Having spent hours trawling Airbnb, looking for somewhere that felt cosy, earthy and rooted in its surroundings, my search led me to Habitat: a small and newly constructed hamlet of six tiny homes at the foot of Monte Gambarogno, one of the prominent peaks of the Lugano Prealps.
We arrived by train from Milan, snaking past lakeside villages to the small Swiss town of Cadenazzo. From there, a short drive through the lanes of Piazzogna brought us to the cabins, built entirely from wood and glass, and peppered up the sloping hillside. Set on land shaped by tectonic collisions and inspired by the connection between man and nature, each tiny home at Habitat has been positioned on a plot of high geological energy and named after one of the body’s chakras, inviting guests to tune into something deeper during their stay.
We chose Tiny Home #4, The Sound, which corresponds to the heart chakra and is intended to unlock love, compassion and connection.
There’s no television, of course. You don’t need it. Because as we turned the handle for the first time and stepped inside, our entertainment for the weekend became clear. A panoramic view of the wintry lake, our breaths swept away by the sinking sun, lavender washed sky and twinkling lights of Locarno just across the bay.
The sense of remoteness was immediately palpable, welcome and satisfying, but required a little preparation (which, of course, we hadn’t accounted for). Fortunately, our hosts had thought of everything: because with the nearest supermarket a 20-minute drive away, we found ourselves in the small but well-stocked onsite deli, collecting pasta and tomato sauce for dinner, and tempted by the array of artisan produce baked daily by a local couple. Back at our cabin, we cooked in the compact yet well-equipped kitchenette as dusk gave way to stars.
