Island castle for sale on the largest island of Lake Iseo, Monte Isola in Lombardy. Romantic and imposing the property is in good structural condition but needs updating and modernising.
Medieval Castle on the island of Monte Isola Lake Iseo
This 13th-century medieval castle has an exceptional view over Lake Iseo and the opposite Isle of San Paolo. It has a total of 7 bedrooms (two of which are inside the tower), 5 bathrooms and a 5,500-sqm park. The building has been restored in the past (the last time in 1964) but is now in need of updating and restoration. Once restored the castle would be ideal as a prestige home or could maybe utilised for commercial use such as a small boutique hotel and events and weddings.
Services are all available in the nearby villages on the island which can be easily reached in a few minutes on foot. Using the daily ferry service you can reach the mainland and from here move easily and quickly around Northern Italy visiting town and cities such as Iseo, Desenzano, Verona, Milan, Como, Trento, Venice.
The closest airport is Verona (85km; 1h) but the airports of Milan, Bologna, Venice and Bologna are easily reachable.
The castle was originally built in the 13th century as a defensive keep and two centuries later it was converted into a private fortified villa. A stone plaque testifies a first restoration carried out in 1524 (AD MDXXIIII).
In the 17th century, the property was first expanded with new walls and then razed to the ground in 1696. In the following century, the building was built anew and a few elements can be dated back to this period (the vaulted ceilings on the ground floor, the now-destroyed outdoor portico on the Northern and Eastern sides).
In 1912 the castle was registered by the Sovrintendenza as a protected site and in 1924 it was restored once again. On September 17, 1960, following a dramatic storm, the Southern wall suddenly collapsed and the breach is still visible nowadays.
The last restoration was completed in 1964 and the castle needs a thorough restoration and updating to be exploited to its full potential. Structurally, the building is in excellent shape, while the finishes bear the signs of the passing of time and need to be worked on. The castle still retains many architectural features such as the beautiful vaulted ceilings, the huge original fireplaces, the stone portal at the entrance, the drawbridge and the winding stone staircase inside the tower.
The castle has a surface area of 550 sqm – 5,918 sqft on three floors plus the tower (two additional floors) and was last restored in 1964. Inside, the layout of the building is as follows:
Ground floor: kitchen with pantry, dining room, gallery, service room, bedroom with en-suite bathroom (ideal for a caretaker), technical room with firewood shelter and guest bathroom;
– First floor: living room with large terrace (216 sqm), library, studio and bathroom;
– Second floor: four bedrooms and two bathrooms;
– Third floor (tower): bedroom;
– Fourth floor (tower): bedroom with rooftop panoramic terrace.
Next to the two terraces, the castle is surrounded by 5,500 sqm of land covered in a gently-sloped garden with direct view over the lake.
The terrace on the first floor, over 216 sqm in surface areas, is perfect for outdoor dining and with its incredible view would offer the perfect background for events, marriages and ceremonies.
- TYPE: Medieval island castle
- CONDITION: Needing restoration
- LOCATION: Lakeside
- MUNICIPALITY: Iseo
- PROVINCE: Brescia
- REGION: Lombardy
- INTERIORS: 550 square metres (5,918 square feet)
- TOTAL ROOMS: 19
- BEDROOMS: 7
- BATHROOMS: 5
- MAIN FEATURES: Stone walls, paved courtyard, vaulted ceilings, terracotta floors, drawbridge, original stone fireplace, stone winding staircase, tower
- LAND: 5,500 square metres (1.4 acres)
- GARDEN: Tree-dotted park
- ANNEXES: No
- ACCESS: On foot
- SWIMMING POOL: No
- ELECTRICITY: Already connected
- WATER SUPPLY: Mains water
- TELEPHONE: To be connected
- ADSL: Possible
- GAS: Municipal network
- HEATING SYSTEM: Radiators
- CLOSEST CITIES AND TOWNS Town with services (600m; 2’)
- Distances are all calculated from the mainland, easily reached in less than 20’.
- Iseo (5m; 10’), Brescia (28km; 30’), Bergamo (45km; 50’), Desenzano del Garda (55km; 40’), Sirmione (68km; 1h), Verona (93km; 1h 10’), Milan (108km; 1h 25’), Piacenza (113km; 1h 20’), Como (139km; 1h 40’), Trento (158km; 1h 50’), Venice (200km; 2h), Bologna (217km; 2h 20’)
- CLOSEST AIRPORTS Distances are all calculated from the mainland, easily reached in less than 20’.
- Verona Catullo (85km; 1h), Milano Linate (89km; 1h), Milano Malpensa (139km; 1h 30’), Bologna Venezia Marco Polo (209km; 2h), Bologna Marconi (213km; 2h 10’)
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