Panoramic views atop Santa Monica Canyon

IT MAY not be Florence, Italy, but this Santa Monica Canyon home definitely has a room with a view -- make that several.

Perched above the mouth of the Westside canyon -- a longtime bohemian retreat that includes Will Rogers State Park and the Riviera Country Club -- this four-lev- el, modern-style home, surrounded by cottages, large estates and mature trees, captures vistas from Santa Monica Bay to Point Dume, as well as of Pacific Palisades and the canyon itself.

Owner Aliza Kitay at first envisioned this property as a vacation home. But after razing the original cabin, built in 1928, and seeing the completed loft-style house in 2006, how could she not inhabit it full time?

“I love the view, the quiet,” Kitay said. “It’s very peaceful, like you’re living in the country.”

About this home: Visitors enter the gated property at street level, then descend to the main entrance through a garden with a waterfall; the living and dining rooms and kitchen are on this level.

Walk, or take the four-story elevator, down one more level to the master bedroom suite, which occupies the entire 1,000-square-foot floor. It has a sitting area, deck and bath with steam and spa. The bottom level has two bedrooms and spa bathtubs.

The high ceilings and high-tech features, not to mention light pouring into every room, might inspire artists or writers, if they could concentrate on anything besides the views. The home has a den and media room-office.

Asking price: $5,375,000

Size: The house has three bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms in about 5,000 square feet.

Features: The home has four plasma televisions; an integrated, programmable stereo system; surround sound; a digital phone system; video security surveillance; and automated window shades that provide privacy (residents can see out but passersby cannot see in). In the kitchen, there are CaesarStone counters, maple cabinets, a Miele dishwasher, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, Decor ovens and a wine refrigerator. There are Brazilian mahogany floors on three levels, three fireplaces and a two-car garage.

Where:Santa Monica Canyon

Listing agent: Diane Witz, Re-Max Beverly Hills, (310) 788-0411, www.dianewitz.com.

[email protected]

To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send high-resolution color photos with caption and credit information on a CD and a detailed description of the house to Diane Wedner, Real Estate section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., CA 90012. Send questions to homeoftheweek@latimes

.com.