Why is this Maharashtra hill station called the ‘Italy of India?’

It’s one of India's most smartly planned hill cities, tucked away in the Western Ghats, some 60 kilometres from Pune. Any guesses? Lavasa it is, which was constructed with a specific goal and a striking design inspiration—the Italian fishing resort of Portofino—while many hill stations developed organically over decades.

This relationship is intentional, architectural, and evident in practically every area of the town; it is not a casual analogy. And this is how, and why Lavasa has been dubbed "the Italy of India." The decision to model the city after Portofino was part of the original master plan when Lavasa Corporation Ltd. began developing the region in the early 2000s. Portofino is famous for its pastel-coloured buildings, narrow lanes, harborside cafés and steep, picturesque slopes.

Lavasa’s planners sought to recreate this Mediterranean charm in an Indian hill setting, adapting European aesthetics to suit the Sahyadri landscape.

As a result, the town’s visual identity stands out sharply from typical Indian hill stations.

Lavasa's waterfront promenade, which was directly influenced by Portofino's harbour front, is one of its most distinctive features. The promenade, which gradually curves around Dasve Lake, is adorned with vibrant buildings that reflect the Ligurian colour scheme with warm hues like terracotta, mustard, peach, olive green, and brick red.

At first look, Lavasa appears uniquely European because these colours were carefully chosen to resemble the architecture of Italian seaside villages.

The town’s building facades also follow Mediterranean design cues. Archways, narrow balconies, tiled roofs, and pastel plastered walls recreate an Italian-style street ambience. Even the arrangement of cafés and pedestrian-friendly boulevards draws from European town planning practices, where social interaction and open public spaces are central to daily life.

Lavasa’s streets are intentionally walkable, with a layout that favours lakeside strolling, again inspired by Portofino’s compact, waterfront lifestyle.Read more: 10 tallest statues in the world, and the countries that built themLavasa is divided into planned “towns,” and the first phase, Dasve, is the part that most closely resembles Portofino. Urban designers used design guidelines that promoted symmetry, harmonious colour selection, and controlled building heights to maintain the Mediterranean look.

While Lavasa’s later phases followed broader architectural themes, Dasve remains the core of what earned Lavasa its Italian comparison.

But beyond architecture, Lavasa’s “Italy of India” label also stems from its atmosphere. The waterfront cafés, boutique hotels, lakeside seating areas and neatly paved promenades create a holiday-town feel reminiscent of European resort destinations. The experience of sitting by the lake, surrounded by pastel buildings and hills, is what many visitors associate with the relaxed charm of small Italian towns.

Although Lavasa is not a coastal town like Portofino, the central lake functions as its version of a marina, shaping how people experience the space visually and emotionally.Read more: Which glacier is the source of Ganga River? The town’s creators also emphasised sustainable development, hillside preservation and controlled construction—concepts widely used in European hill and coastal towns to maintain scenic value. This approach further strengthened the perception that Lavasa was designed in the spirit of European planning philosophies.

While Lavasa’s development faced regulatory and economic challenges over the years, its visual identity remained consistent with its original inspiration.

Lavasa is now known as the "Italy of India" mostly due to its striking resemblance to Portofino, its meticulously imitated Mediterranean colour palette, and its placement along the lake. Because of these artistic decisions, tourists frequently comment that the town feels different from any other Indian destination.

Lavasa offers a unique and purposefully designed experience for those who appreciate themed architecture or wish to experience a little bit of European seashore beauty in the middle of Maharashtra's hills.

In late 2010, the Ministry of Environment and Forests halted construction, citing environmental law violations. The order was lifted in late 2011. The overall scale of the project may have been reduced, and the previously planned public offering was unlikely to proceed. As of 2023, the National Company Law Tribunal approved a resolution plan, naming Darwin Platform Infrastructure Ltd as the successful bidder to take over the city’s construction.