250 My house is in the lakes north-west of Milan

I thought this was the easiest way to let people know where my house is, and the area I am interested in.

I live in Northampton, and my wife and I bought a 'holiday home' overlooking Lake Orta in 2003.

We chose the area for several reasons
1. Its easy to get to by budget airline, as well as by road/ferry
2. There is not a British ex-pat community there - there are a very few Brits, and they haven't taken over the place.
3. We knew the area from previous visits
4. We have Anglo Italian friends about 90 minutes away, who we have visited for the last 20 years.

We bought the house for the views and the solitude. [and the cows, with their bells, that the farmer drives down the road each day to the fields opposite] We have done the place up - central heating converted to natural gas [metano], new kitchen and enlarged bathroom, re-wired and re-plumbed.

Love the place - its the perfect 'chill out'' house. Although we still work in the UK, we visit 4 or 5 times a year, and my son and daughter [both grown up and left home] also use the place, as do our Anglo/Italian friends.

We don't rent the house out - but family and friends are free to use it if we aren't there [better than leaving it empty]

We won't move to Italy when we retire [soon] - but we will spend more time at the house.