The Castelconturbia Golf Club is an impressive 27-hole facility north of Milan, with terrific views of Monte Rosa and three attractive loops of nine all returning to a superb central clubhouse. The view on arrival is quite something, from beneath the veranda you can see the three closing greens, a dozen or so jagged bunkers and the last part of the famous 7 Yellow hole, one of Italy's most memorable par fours.

The premier layout here is the Yellow & Blue course, the 7th but one of numerous attractive holes on both sides. Typically the bunkers here are large and artistically shaped with jagged edges to create a raw look to the sand shapes. The greens are often tiered or built with swales, with lots of sharply breaking putts if leaving your ball on the wrong side of the hole. Among the disappointing holes are Yellow 5 and Blue 8, both downhill par fives with a pond short of the green but bunkers that discourage aggressive play. Yellow 7 is better, the hole also drops through pine and oak before turning left toward an island green that actually looks much better from behind. The 9th Yellow is another attractive hole, while on the Blue Course the bunkerless 14th and the right sweeping 12th are both fine par fours.

Although Castelconturbia has become a little dated, and tired with regards its maintenance and grooming, this is still a pretty good golf experience and one that most visitors will enjoy.