Island view is a bed & breakfast location on the western shore and above the lake of Iseo. You can find our old renovated ‘casale’ high above the lake with a stunning view at the island. The house lies 300 meters from the main road and is only accessible on foot or with a small 4 wheel drive car. It lies outside the hamlet of Acquaiolo making the location a fairytale site, surrounded by forest and flowered pastures.

Occasionally you might hear a donkey braying, a wild boar or badger roaming while the cuckoo sings his song.

The rooms are on the 2nd floor and have an integrated small bathroom with a shower and outside access via steep stairways. In front of the house is a large terrace to dine, play and relax with access to the pastures and hiking paths.

We have a room with a kingsize, two persons bed, and a room with an extendable bunkbed where we can host a couple with one kid. Both rooms share a large balcony with a view at surrounding lake, mountains and forests, the terrace receives sunshine in the morning.

Our breakfast is occasionally complemented with fresh home-made pies or jams made with berries, cherries or persimmons from our estate.

Up to five adorable cats may stop by during your stay. They’re friendly and curious but prefer to keep a respectful distance from new faces. While they won’t enter the rooms, you might spot them quietly observing you from afar.

When arriving please call us so that we can bring your luggage up the mountain with our small car. Note that your normal car cannot access the narrow road to our house. It can be parked in the hamlet of Acquaiolo. Three times a day the Arriva C40a bus between Tavernola and Parzanica provides a public transport service. Milan-Bergamo Airport is 40 car minutes from Parzanica. The closest train station you find in Iseo (-> ferry) or Grumello del Monte (-> bus)

The village Parzanica is at 20 minutes walking distance, a quite steep hike through the forest, olive yards and pastures. In the village you can find a small supermarket serving fresh backed bread and pies, a bar/pizzeria and two agriturismo serving typical food of the area. The farm at the edge of the village sells fresh cheese and honey. 

Several hikes depart from the village, to a little church on a viewpoint above the lake and to the summits of the chalk mountains that make up the small but steep and spectaculair mountain chain between lake Endine and lake Iseo. From the small town Tavernola you can take the ferry to the island and the cities on the other side of the lake such as Iseo and Marone. To swim in the pristine lake Iseo you can hike to a hamlet called Portirone, about 40 minutes down from our house along a safe but steep cemented footpath. A spectacular cascade is found here as well.

To reach us by car, exit the A4 highway between Milan and Venice at Ponte Oglio, follow SP84 and SP91 to Sarnico, in Sarnico follow SP469 to Lovere. You pass Predore and then Tavernola Bergamasco. Traverse this little town along the lakeshore, after a cement factory you turn left to go up to Parzanica. You will pass a hamlet called Spiglia, 3 turns later you will enter the hamlet Acquaiolo. Turn left to the ‘center’ of the hamlet and park in front of the chapel San Mauro. If you want to use a navigation system direct it to Acquaiolo, frazione di Parzanica.

Services

1. WIFI
2. Airconditioning
3. Garden
4. TV

Area

1. You can charge your electric car in Predore, next to the Townhall (Municipio), also the closest petrol station you find in Predore.
2. Parzanica has six 22 kW charging stations, but not linked to a nationwide provider, only working with a credit card.
3. In Sarnico or Lovere you find more options for charging electricity or filling petrol.
4. In Tavernola you can find various bars and restaurants, the ferry, a post-office, a bank with ATM and some tourist shops
5. A chique restaurant you find in hamlet Zu, on the road to Lovere.
6. Fresh Italian ice-cream you can find in Riva di Solto, providing also a beautiful lake stroll gazing at snow capped mountains and steep cliffs
7. The lake-side road is filled with bicycles on Sunday morning, a tour around the lake (70 kms) is quite feasible, has spectacular views and is mostly safe. Do not forget to mount a light on your bike, as you pass through several tunnels
8. Cycling in the mountains is demanding due to the steep roads in this region, electric assisted bicycles might help and a bicycle charging station is available in Parzanica.
9. Above Marone, on the other side of the lake you find, in a village called Zone, so-called Earth Pyramids, a geomorphological monument from the ice-age found in only three other places in the Alps.
10. Further North, in the valley called Val Camonica, you can find prehistoric inscriptions, one of the largest sites in Europe.
11. The region offers various options for rock climbing, famous is a site between Predore and Tavernola
12. In Summer time the lake area gives room to various festivals and cultural gatherings notably in the historic towns Iseo, Sarnico or Lovere
13. Check out our Weather Station