Villa Cortona

Villa Cortona dates to 1580, when it was built as a summer retreat for a Florentine banking family who wanted to escape the city heat without leaving the orbit of the Medici court. The building retains its Renaissance proportions: a symmetrical facade of honey-coloured stone, a double-height entrance hall with a coffered ceiling, and a formal garden laid out in the Italian manner with box hedges, gravel paths, and a central fountain. Frescoes attributed to the school of Pietro da Cortona survive in the main salon and the dining room, depicting pastoral scenes of the Val di Chiana below. Six bedrooms occupy the upper floors, each named after a figure from the villa's history. The master suite, the Sala del Cardinale, features an original painted ceiling, a canopy bed reproduced from a period design, and a bathroom installed within a former antechamber with views over the formal garden to Lake Trasimeno. The remaining bedrooms vary in character - some have frescoed walls, others have simpler whitewashed interiors with terracotta floors - but all have been updated with modern plumbing, air conditioning, and the linens and mattresses expected at this price point. The private chapel, consecrated in 1612 and still containing its original altarpiece, is available for ceremonies. Several weddings have taken place here, though the property is equally popular with families and groups who simply appreciate the historical atmosphere. A 20-metre pool occupies a terrace below the formal garden, positioned to capture the afternoon sun and the view across the Val di Chiana. The pool terrace includes a stone pavilion where the chef serves lunch - typically a light Tuscan meal of local salumi, fresh pasta, and vegetables from the kitchen garden, accompanied by wine from the nearby Avignonesi or Poliziano estates. Cortona, one of Tuscany's most atmospheric hilltop towns, is a 10-minute drive uphill. The town's Etruscan walls, medieval piazzas, and the MAEC museum make it a destination in its own right. Montepulciano and its Vino Nobile cellars are 25 minutes south; Arezzo is 30 minutes north.