Archive for 'Cortona'

Those planning a vacation to Tuscany, or a Tuscan city, in particular, during summer months will find that temperatures often soar. If you want to spend a summer exploring the wonderful cities of this beautiful region of Italy but you don't want to spend it melting, then tracking down a rental property with air-conditioning truly is key.

Here are more entries in the list that we have compiled of just some of our properties with air-conditioning in Tuscan cities. You might consider these for the 2019 summer season, which is now open for advance booking, and still has the best availability.

These rentals are perfectly equipped and centrally located, ideal for spending your days darting around to see it all, and then return home to a blissful air-conditioned property to relax and unwind comfortably...

If you are planning a vacation to Tuscany in the summer months, you might be surprised by just how warm it can get, especially in the cities. In order to beat the heat and to be able to relax, at ease, while on your vacation, tracking down a rental property with air-conditioning is key. We have put together a list of just some of our properties with air-conditioning in Tuscan cities that you might be considering for the 2019 season (which is now open for advance booking!) and that will keep you cool and collected so you can enjoy your surroundings...

1. Appartamento Bartolomeo (Available from €66 per night)

This cute and cosy apartment is a colourful rental in an apartment block in the district of Gavinana, around 2.5km from the centre of Florence. A one bedroom studio apartment, it has an open-plan kitchen and sitting area and an open gallery up a flight of stairs with a bedroom. The sitting area also has a pull-out sofabed making this property perfect for a couple, solo traveller or small family.

Palazzo Casali is a palace located in the Tuscan town of Cortona that was built by the Casali family, who ruled over the town in the 13th century. It was only a family residence until 1409 and, thereafter, became the Palazzo Pretorio, which was occupied by the city’s Florentine captains. Today, it houses the City Museum and, on the first and top floors, the library and museum of the Accademia Etrusca. A beautiful building and an excellent and historic museum, it is a worthwhile little visit to pop into your itinerary if you are a culture vulture that has found a vacation rental in Cortona.

The façade that is visible today can probably be attributed to Filippo Berettini and was executed at the beginning of the 17th century and the rear façade, looking onto Via delle Carceri, is particularly lovely. From the main Palazzo Casali entrance, you pass through a 17th century carved doorway, into a large atrium that is decorated with coats of arms and opens into a courtyard. Particular architectural elements to take note of are the two staircases and the 16th century sandstone fountain commissioned by Bettino Ricasoli.

Saint Francis of Assisi is one of the most famous and well-known Italian saints. His story is perfectly formed to capture hearts and imaginations: the son of a rich mercantile family, he lived the life of a playboy and was a soldier but, after a being held in captivity as a prisoner of war for a year, he had a big change of heart and renounced his way of life entirely. He dedicated himself to a life of piety and charity and founded the Franciscan order, which is based on poverty and alms.

Inspired by the great beauty, the variety, the historic and cultural value, the facilities, and the juicy legends and myths of the castles of Tuscany, we endeavored to put together a list of some of the most interesting examples that the region has to offer. In our final installment in this series, we have two more wonderful castles that we would like to share with you: Girifalco Fortress in Cortona and Vincigliata Castle in Fiesole.

Girifalco Fortress was built by Gabrio Serbelloni, nephew of Pope Pie IV and Francesco Laparelli. The original foundations of the fort were from an Etruscan construction which was later used by the Goths, Lombards, Romans and then re-purposed in the Middle Ages until it was sacked in 1258. It then underwent numerous campaigns of alterations beginning in 1266 and continuing into the 16th century. The current fortress dates back to the second half of the 16th century and was part of a plan for strengthening the defences of the State ordered by Cosimo I de' Medici.