Despite Lake Como and Lake Maggiore in Italy being popular with the jet set – the former primarily with celebrities and the latter with wealthy Milanese, prepare to be surprised at how affordable property has remained along some parts of the islands’ shoreline.

The desirability of being beside a scenic lake combined with strict building regulations and the proximity of international airports also help property around these two lakes to hold value, even during the downturn of recent years. So where should you start you look for a lakeside home?

On Maggiore, Stresa, Baveno and Belgirate make up a sought after stretch of shoreline and offer fantastic views of Borromeo Island. Properties in this area range from as little as €170,000 for a two-bedroom apartment, to €700,000-€775,000 for a luxury three-bedroom penthouse with lake views or four-bedroom apartment with a boat mooring, to €5million for a grand villa!

On Lake Como, prices on the north-western shore start from as little as €120,000, while at the other of the spectrum a wonderful lakeside villa at Pianello can be purchased newly restored with four bedrooms, four bathrooms a lakeside pool and beach for around €2.5million. Another high end option is a detached 300-square-metre villa at Tremezzo for €1.2million through agent Casa Travella.

One way to save money when buying property in Italy, is to use a currency specialist when transferring your pounds into euros to complete the purchase of your property. For more information on this, contact Smart Currency Exchange.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Italy, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Italy Property Buying Guide’