Villa Belvedere is a majestic residence situated in the Costermano region of Italy, on the shore of Lake Garda. It was designed by studio Perathoner Architects and it occupies a gently sloping site with a great view over a small olive grove and the entire valley below. To the North of the plot, there’s not a lot to see and this section of the house is largely closed in order to offer privacy from the street. On the opposite side however things are quite different.

The South-facing facades are almost entirely glazed, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, sliding glass doors and transparent walls which are all designed to frame the beautiful scenery unfolding in front of them. The geometry of the house is quite interesting on this side as well. The flat roof extends over a large terrace forming a clean border around the windows. At the same time, a large triangle-shaped hole allows natural light to go all the way down to the terrace and there the same design is also mirrored between the two floors.

At the back of the site there’s also a large infinity pool designed in the same minimalist style as the house. The view from this plateau is absolutely amazing and the entire project was guided by a desire to make the most of it. The most beautiful and impressive thing about the villa is the way in which it maintains a very clean, contemporary and minimalist appearance without ignoring the context or looking out of place. That was in part achieved by combining variety materials such as concrete, white cement, Carrara marble and natural wood. This gives the house a very sleek and sophisticated vibe and makes features such as the underground car garage and car lift entirely justified but at the same time it provides a balanced aesthetic.