Villa Dellago Opens To Lake Light Through Twin Sunken Patios Below
Villa Dellago sits on the east shore of Lake Garda in Torri del Benaco, Italy, as a one-story house by JM Architecture. The pavilion settles onto a natural terrace aligned with the water, trimming excavation while framing long views. Within this compact outline, the plan splits daily life between a glazed living wing and a private master suite, with service rooms centered and lower-level rooms cut into the slope for light and outlook.
Low on the slope, a pale roof projects beyond glass as the lake opens ahead. Sun reaches deep across the terrace, then softens under the cool cantilever.
This is a single-level house on Lake Garda’s eastern shore, composed by JM Architecture with a plan keyed to the site’s natural terrace. The pavilion arranges living at one end, the primary suite at the other, and a compact core at center—rooms stack in a clear line to keep excavation to a minimum.
Aligning Rooms To Lake
Every main-room elevation runs largely in glass to face the water. The living area occupies one wing, the bedroom wing the opposite, so each daily routine meets the view without crossing paths. Between them, a white aluminum frame traces the platform’s edge and sets a crisp datum (it also visually gathers the roof’s generous overhang). The pool sits within this outline on the south side, effectively extending the plan outdoors.
Circulation Through The Core
Service rooms cluster at the center to keep the ends open and quiet. Here, a stair slips down into rooms carved from the natural slope, where two large patios cut into the terrain bring daylight and air to the lower level. Those patios orient toward the lake, so even the rooms underground borrow the horizon. Movement stays intuitive: short runs, direct views, and a steady sense of where the water lies.
Light, Shade, Overhang
A flat roof hovers with a perimeter cantilever and a total height a touch over 3 meters, balancing light and shade across the day. Technical components hide in the roof build-up, leaving an ivory ceramic surface that reads as carefully as a façade. Only one portion of the main floor closes to the exterior—the master bathroom—yet it still draws light from an open-air patio that extends into a private wet area. Retractable roller blinds, concealed within the interior ceiling line, tune privacy and glare when needed.
Interiors On The Platform
Inside, custom millwork orders the rooms. Oak paneling warms the walls, marble shapes the vanities, and an open kitchen integrates equipment within a refined assembly. Furniture floats away from the glazing to keep paths legible and the lake in view, which amplifies daylight and a contemporary clarity. Along the base, wood plastic composite slats with an oak finish wrap the bathroom volume, pulling tones from the surrounding vegetation.
Garden On The Slope
Planting follows the land’s steps: lawn on the flats, hardy species on steeper grades, and existing olive trees and cypresses held in place. The result is calm. The building’s compact footprint respects the contours, while the patios and pool stitch the terrace to daily use.
Evening returns the roof to shadow and the glass to depth. From the platform, the lake reads uninterrupted, and the plan—precise, direct, quiet—does the rest.
Photography by JM Architecture
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