On the third floor of his South Side home, John Bova has "a balcony that overlooks the world." That's assuming your world reaches from the West End to Braddock in the east, with most of Pittsburgh in between.

If your world view is a bit bigger, take a look around his house. It's decorated with artwork and items from some of the 27 countries he's visited.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, Mr. Bova's century-old house will be open for the Historic South Side Home Tour, presented by South Side Local Development Co. Some of the nine tour stops are restored Victorians much fancier than Mr. Bova's 2 1/2-story frame building on the Slopes. But none have the scope or variety of views he has from his deck and three porches.

"Every day you see something new when you look out," he said.

The views are one of the main reasons he bought this house 1 1/2 years ago, that and the fenced-in yard for his dog. The 43-year-old Whitehall native taught in Virginia for a while before moving back here to teach Spanish to ninth- and 10th-graders at North Allegheny High School.

While attending a party, he discovered the North Side's Mexican War Streets, where he bought and renovated a century-old house and lived in it for eight years. He was looking at other city neighborhoods on the Internet when he stumbled upon this house -- and the South Side.

"It's a real convenient location. Everything is within 1 mile of me," he said.

The current owner had already rehabbed it, saving Mr. Bova the trouble. Because he likes to cook, he replaced all of the low-end appliances with commercial-type, stainless-steel models.

He has decorated the four bedrooms, two full and two half-baths and other rooms with handmade pottery and artwork from Greece -- his favorite vacation -- and other places he's visited. The living and dining rooms feature a pair of antique light fixtures he brought from his North Side house and, by the living room fireplace, a hammered copper fender made around 1900 in England.

Mr. Bova's favorite part of the house is the third-floor master suite. The jetted tub has a view of the city but not as good as the one from the 14- by 4-foot deck that faces the river.

"Every night, before I go to bed, I look out and say 'Wow! This is phenomenal!' " he said.

The 17th annual Historic South Side Home Tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Tickets are $15 at Carnegie Library or UPMC South Side. Information: 412-481-0651, ext. 30, or www.southsidepgh.com.