To some, the Lake Como hideaway fictionally purchased by Mr. & Mrs. Smith actors Donald Glover and Maya Erskine is an intriguing setting used in an episode of the Amazon Prime Video action series.
For others, Il Rudere (the Ruin) is a secluded vacation home―accessible only by boat―where nights can cost €1,000 to €2,000, depending on the season and length of stay.
But for more than two decades, the stone residence also known as the Writer’s Nest has been the labor of love, home and “a place of silence” for crime fiction writer Giuseppe Guin.
“The Ruin has been the inspiration for 10 novels set on the lake,” Guin says. Among them are Unforgivable Love Trilogy, Take Me to the Lake and Woman’s Hand: Love Crime on Lake Como.
When the novelist bought the 19th-century quarrymen’s dwelling in 2002, the 120-square-meter (1,291-square-foot) house was uninhabitable, having been neglected for decades. “It underwent a series of renovations, most recently in 2019, making it a home with all the comforts,” he says, “while preserving the original style and features of the past, from the stone walls, old doors, antique furniture and wooden ceilings.”
Now, Guin says, he is “longing for the sea, for new inspirations” and has listed the property in the municipality of Faggeto Lario in Lombardy, Italy for €6.9 million or close to US $7.5 million.
The villa near the village of Faggeto Lario is set inside a lakeside quarry dating to the Roman Ages. An overhanging rock cliff bears the marks where stones were excavated to build villas and churches around Lake Como.
On the other side of the 3,000-square-meter (three-quarters of an acre) site is a grassy beach surrounded by rock steps that fishermen once used to catch agone and perch. There’s also a boat dock and private buoy.
The great room, filled with antique furniture, has floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides that frame the view of the lake. A glass door opens to a veranda and stepping stones that lead toward the water. An outdoor dining area sits nearby.
Centuries-old chestnut shelves set in stone take up an entire wall of the library area. Bolts salvaged from village houses secure the wooden doors. Old hand-forged iron lanterns light the space. A granite kitchen is carved from stones from the quarry.
One of the three bedrooms overlooks the lake. Another faces the forest and the natural stone amphitheater.
The three-bathroom villa is being offered furnished. Other amenities include a barbecue area with a dining table, hammock, sunbeds and two canoes.
Other than the 10-minute boat ride, the only way to reach the house is by an arduous path through the woods, according to listing agent Pascal Brülhart of Building Heritage. A berth and parking can be rented in Faggeto Lario.
“Immersed in nature, far from population centers … and with the charm of absolute privacy,” Brülhart says that the villa is still close to Lake Como’s historic and cultural attractions. The city of Como is about a 20-minute drive away. It’s an hour by car to Milan Malpensa Airport and Milan.