TUSCANY NEWSLETTER

Dear Agents & Friends,

Here is the SECOND NEWSLETTER from my trip to Italy! TUSCANY!

Please click on the property name in blue to view more information and photos!

HOTELS

Sovana Hotel & Resort - 4 Star**** - Situated between Rome and Grosseto, this carefully renovated farmhouse is set in the middle of a park of 10,000 square meters of olive groves and roses and features its own restaurant, pool and wellness center.

The   New York Times did a huge article on this area of Tuscany on June 7, 2009 stating the following:

Almost any connoisseur of the world's great coasts falls hard for Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi. They are forever singing their praises, but there's no such song or swooning over Viareggio or Forte dei Marmi, which are both in Tuscany. Outside of Italy you hear little enough about Tuscany's beaches that it is easy to forget Tuscany even has a coast. People who live in Italy have been there time and time again because it's accessible and relatively uncrowded. Now it is being discovered big time!

Sovana Hotel is right in this area, and in fact, Sovana was once an Etruscan town and today it is a village that is still intact in its medieval structure. Excavations of Etruscan sites abound in the area. The restoration of this historical hotel is superb. The hotel also has a new spa. Standard double rooms from 120 Euro per night, superior doubles from 140 Euro, and deluxe doubles from 170 Euro. Rates include VAT, service, and breakfast.

Sovana Hotel

Villa di Piazzano - 4 Star**** - Built in the early 1500's, the Villa di Piazzano was commissioned by Cardinal Silvio Passerini as a hunting manor.  Today the Villa has been transformed into an elegant country residence and special attention has been dedicated to preserving the beauty and authenticity of the original building. The villa is located at the base of the foothills of Cortona. Rates for superior rooms start from 235 Euro per night, deluxe rooms from 285 Euro per night, and junior suites from 340 Euro per night. Rates include VAT, service, and breakfast.

Villa di Piazzano

Torre Santa Flora Hotel & Restaurant - 4 Star**** - This lovely hotel is located only 15 minutes from Arezzo on the shores of the Arno River and was once an ancient mill. The Torre Santa Flora is famous for its restaurant and wine. The chef is one of the best in Tuscany. The famous wine cellar offers a 30% discount to guests of the hotel. In addition to double rooms, Santa Flora also has three junior suites in the restored mill that can accommodate up to four people per suite. The terrace overlooks the garden and swimming pool. Rates in double rooms start from 125 Euro per night, junior suites from 185 Euro per night, and family junior suites from 215 Euro per night. Discounted rates available for stays of five nights or more.

 
Torre Santa Flora Hotel

Tenuta di Ricavo - 4 Star**** -Tenuta di Ricavo is a very lovingly restored medieval hamlet in the natural setting of 445 acres of a protected nature park. Tenuta di Ricavo is located between Greve and Radda and about 30 minutes from Siena. The tranquility, the freshness of the air, the voices of song birds, the colors of wild flowers, the rich hues of cypress, and the sense of space unite to present you with a tranquil sense of peace and relaxation. The owner's grandmother owned this property since 1922 and it is now managed by the granddaughter who speaks four languages. Classic double rooms from 180 Euro per night, superior doubles from 210 Euro, and junior suites from 260 Euro. Rates include VAT, service, and breakfast.

Tenuta di Ricavo

Villa Mangiacane - 5 Star***** - Villa Mangiacane is a gorgeous property on 60 acres in a magnificent 15^th century villa that is now a luxury hotel. When we arrived to see this property there was an awesome Dutch wedding going on. It is situated merely seven miles outside of Florence and is a noble wine and olive oil producing estate. Steeped in art, history and culture, the 28 individually designed rooms and suites offer stunning views of the Tuscan countryside. The property features an elegant restaurant where breakfast is served outside in the herbal garden, terraces for reading, three swimming pools for relaxing, a fitness center and outdoor beds for naps. Check out the newly opened Nadushka Spa for the ultimate experience in tranquility and pampering. Whether one guest or a family function for celebrations or weddings, or treating oneself to a “time out”,  it doesn’t get any better than Villa Mangiacane. Set amongst acres of vineyards and olive groves with breathtaking views overlooking Florence, guests can savor the ambience. Rates for classic double rooms start from 275 Euro per night, superior doubles from 330 Euro, and deluxe doubles from 410 Euro per night. Rates include VAT, service, and breakfast.

Villa Mangicane

HOTELS WITH APARTMENTS & VILLAS

La Canonica di Cortine - 4 Star**** - Amidst the vineyards and woods dividing the regions of Florence and Siena, La Canonica di Cortine distinguishes itself from among all the other historical residences in Chianti. Cortine is the name of the medieval castle (from which La Canonica is a part) in a medieval town and mentioned in the records of 1037.

Surrounded by stone walls and flowering hedges this private holiday residence includes:

• Villa Castrum which can accommodate from 10 to 14 people with five bedrooms and five bathrooms. The Villa Castrum has its own private gardens and swimming pool and is pictured below. Rates start from 5,700 Euro per week including VAT.

 
Villa Castrum at La Canonica di Cortine

• Ten stone cottages all of which have their own private garden and patio, together with the bed and breakfast, share the artistically designed swimming pool with hydro-massage.  The cottages start from 890 - 1650 Euro per week including VAT.

• The Main Villa which houses the bed and breakfast has standard and deluxe double rooms with incredible rates. The standard double rooms in the main villa start from 100 Euro per night, and deluxe doubles from 120 Euro per night including VAT, service, and breakfast. 

The atmosphere of long ago has been recreated through careful restoration, maintenance of original color schemes, selection of appropriate antique furniture and the use of well-chosen fabrics in cretonne, linen, cotton and original English chintz. All these details show the buildings have been furnished with quality and good taste. 

I Grandi di Toscana - 4 Star**** - This meticulously restored Tuscan farm Estate is set amongst olive groves and vineyards in the heart of the Val di Chiana only 30 miles east of Siena overlooking the Medieval villages of Monte San Savino and Civitella.  This property is 62 hectares with eight apartments and two junior suites and includes a swimming pool with scenic terrace, gardens, wonderful floral beds and a nine-hole golf course. One-bedroom apartments start from 150 Euro per night, suites from 190 Euro per night, two-bedroom apartments from 290 Euro per night, and a house for six from 300 Euro per night. Rates include VAT, service, & breakfast. Discounted weekly rates are available, but do not include breakfast.

I Grandi di Toscana

Villa San Filippo - 4 Star**** - Villa San Filippo is an enchanting resort! This 18^th century villa has hotel rooms and eight one and two-bedroom apartments and is just 20 minutes north of Siena. Each apartment is equipped with a kitchen and there is a shared pool and restaurant. There are bicycles for guests to use as well. Set on a hilltop surrounded by olive groves and vineyards with breathtaking views of the Tuscan landscape sits Villa San Filippo, an ideal retreat for anyone interested in enjoying the various aspects for which Tuscany is famous: history, art, culture and culinary traditions. Weekly rates for one bedroom apartments start from 870 Euro and two-bedroom apartments from 1140 Euro including VAT and buffet breakfast. Hotel rooms start from 136 Euro per night including VAT, service, and buffet breakfast.

Villa San Filippo

Fonte de Medici - 4 Star**** - An estate in Chianti Classico region, just 30 miles south of Florence, Fonte de Medici is comprised of three clusters of wholly restored and fully equipped farmhouses surrounded by vineyards that date back to the 14^th century.  The property's restaurant, Trattoria della Fonte,  is a must after a hike through the Chianti hills, or after a stroll up to the Lake Buca del Granchio, or perhaps a mountain bike excursion. It is the ideal place for special dinners, but also ideal for snacks of cold cuts and cheese, or wine tasting with samples of some of the best food from the area. Fonte de Medici also has a swimming pool, wellness center, and guided tours upon reqeust. This property has hotel rooms as well as one to three-bedroom apartments. The larger apartments have huge kitchens. Rates for double rooms start from 150 Euro per night, suites that can accommodate up to three people from 170 Euro per night, and apartments from 310 Euro per night. Rates include VAT, service, and breakfast.

Fonte de Medici

Keep us in mind for your large or small group needs in these areas for weddings, reunions, or any celebrations!

 Besides Italy, Small and Elegant Hotels also books London, Paris, Edinburgh, English countryside, Provence, Dublin, Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Mallorca, Monaco, Prague and Budapest!

Cheers!
Bonnie,Tammy, Ronnie, Sandie, & Nancy
Small and Elegant Hotels
E-mail – res@smallandeleganthotels.com

For more information or to schedule your stay, please contact:
Small & Elegant Hotels, International
9425 Whispering Sands
West Olive, MI 49460 - USA
TEL: (616) 844-6000 / FAX: (616) 844-6042
E-Mail: res@smallandeleganthotels.com