Bagging the prize for the Italian Lakes' most extravagantly ostentatious villa (no mean feat) is this over-the-top Moorish creation in Orta topped with an aqua-coloured onion-dome spire. The caprice was the madcap design dream of the rich Crespi textile clan expertly executed by a local Italian architect.
Inside is as visually stimulated as out: velvet walls, stucco, horseshoe arches and four-poster beds, all complemented by a spa, a restaurant and manicured green grounds. The downside (if there is one) is the location isn't great – a 1km walk from Orta's main action.
