In Italy Online - Villa di Piazzano

Villa di Piazzano

Historic Residence - Green Vacations - Romantic Lodgings

Character: Extremely well renovated country manor which was once the hunting lodge of a bishop.
Advantages: Location close to many sites; English-language hosts; very beautiful trimmings and amenities.
Location: Outside Cortona. The regional border between Umbria and Tuscany actually runs across the property! Close to the highway, near Assisi, Montepulciano, Lake Trasimeno, and Perugia. Click here to see a map.
Size: About 20 rooms, including singles, doubles, junior suites and some very dramatic (and comfortable) mansard rooms on the top floor.
Features: Elevator, air conditioning, telephone, satellite TV, plenty of closet space, mini-bar, safe, table and two chairs, as well as a private tiled bathroom with hair dryer, towel warmer, and bathtub with glass door and handheld shower. Wireless Internet access in the lobby. Formal garden with swimming pool. Price includes an excellent breakfast.
Minimum stay: One night.
Disadvantages: None!
Car needed: Yes.

Just a few years ago a young woman named Alessandra, of Italian-Australian parentage, was living in Rome and dying to leave city life far behind. She and her family began searching for a very special country home, with an extremely clear picture of what they wanted. It had to be historical, gracious, surrounded by beautiful views, within easy reach of the highway and many interesting towns, and it had to be adaptable to modern life. Of course it's always good to know what you're looking for, but clear ideas don't always a simple search make. It took a long long time before they found this country estate only two miles from Cortona and a short 25-minute drive from the A1 Autostrada.

As you might imagine, it had taken much longer than that to create the elegant property. The mansion was originally built in the early 1500s to be the hunting lodge of a wealthy cardinal. He and his large retinue would make the long trip up from Rome in a noisy caravan of carriages, then spend a few busy days either thinning out the local fox, wild boar and deer population or enjoying their meat in sumptuous feasts held before many roaring fireplaces. While the men hunted, the ladies might go for a leisurely sail on nearby Trasimeno, Italy's largest lake.

Eventually the cardinal's heirs sold the property, which then became a tobacco farm. Several stone buildings erected in the 1700s and recently restored held the farm equipment and drying racks for the leaves (which still grow in the surrounding fields). When Alessandra and her parents finally discovered it the whole place was in dismal shape. This was a good piece of luck for us, because it allowed them to restore it with flair, taste and intelligence. Almost everywhere, they were able to keep the original marble floors (which boast a different pattern in each room), the stone door frames (etched with the dates of their creation), and the slender beams that grace the ceilings. Today the ground floor offers a warm reception room, a breakfast room, dining room and spacious powder rooms.

The villa's sleeping quarters are upstairs and, as you might imagine, each room is unique. They all have air conditioning, telephone, satellite TV, plenty of closet space, mini-bar, safe, table and two chairs, as well as a private tiled bathroom with hair dryer, towel warmer, and stall shower or bathtub with glass door and handheld shower. Some can be isolated by a door in the hallway to make them perfect for a group of four. An extra-large reading room on the first floor, warmed in winter by a fireplace, is a perfect gathering place for guests who don't want to go down to the main floor. Seven extremely romantic rooms and junior suites with sloping wood-beamed ceilings occupy the Mansard, or third floor. These were completed in May of 2001. The peaceful and quiet property is completed by a formal Italian garden, umbrella-pine shaded lawn and a panoramic swimming pool.

For this property:
Dinner is available by advance reservation for 40 Euro/person (served at 8pm; three-course fixed menu with 1/2 liter wine/person).
Baby cots are available at no extra charge.

Click here for information about private transfers to the property.

There is wireless access in the lobby. However, it is not possible to guarantee Internet access at any property, because the property does not generate the service, it merely provides access from a server. If the server experiences any kind of problem at all, the property regrets it cannot be responsible for any inconvenience caused by subsequent lack of service.

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