Casa Bellavista B&B Cortona

General Description of the Property

Casa Bellavista is in Tuscany, just on the border with Umbria.
It is immersed in the green hills of Cortona, a short way from important sites such as Arezzo, Monterchi, Sansepolcro, Camaldoli, Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino, Siena, and the magnificent Umbria.
For those who wish for a break in their travels north or south it is an ideal stopping place, only 6km from the Valdichiana exit of the A1 Autostrada.
We offer four rooms with private bathroom: the Pink Room, the Green Room the Blue Room and the Pheasants Room .
All are furnished, as is the rest of the house, with antiques from the 18th to 20th Centuries. The rooms and bathrooms are serviced daily
A buffet breakfast is served in our dining room, with all the guests seated around a single table. Dinner can be arranged at Casa Bellavista, with traditional Tuscan dishes. Upon request cooking courses are organised.
Casa Bellavista is the ideal place for those visiting central Italy, who wish to relax with a glass of good wine whilst admiring the rolling Tuscan hills.

Casa Bellavista is a B&B in the true English sense, a home opened to visitors who wish to experience the authentic lifestyle of a Tuscan family.

There are four double bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Guests have complete use of the indoor common rooms including the library, the sitting rooms and the dining room. Outside you will find relaxing areas to enjoy: our grove of olive trees and fruit trees from which you have a commanding view of Cortona, a garden which offers our guests a panoramic view of Montepulciano, Mount Amiata, Sinalunga and Monte San Savino, and a swimming pool for relaxation under the warm sun of Tuscany.

Dinner reservations in advance are gladly accepted. Our dinners feature dishes from the best of Tuscan culinary tradition. Dinners might include such dishes as; ribollita soup, spelt salad, pasta with tomatoes, duck with wild fennel, panna cotta and fruit tarts.

All dinner guests are seated around a single table, a choice that reflects the warm and welcoming style of Casa Bellavista. Even the largest of families sit around one table.

Cooking classes can be arranged for our guests. These classes, which feature Tuscan cuisine, can be scheduled for one or more days, for a maximum of four people. The classes take place in our kitchen and the dishes are prepared with a “hands on” approach.

Following our time together in the kitchen, we will enjoy the foods we prepared along with a glass of wine.

Casa Bellavista is conveniently located for interesting and exciting day trips. We are always at our guests’ disposal to help organize excursions in the area. Some of these might include:
• Sansepolcro (The home of Piero della Francesca)
• Arezzo
• Casentino
• Cortona
• Val d’Orcia
• Wine tours

HISTORY
Casa Bellavista is located on a hilltop, not far from Cortona. The first written record of the homestead dates to the second half of the 18th century, when Casa Bellavista was a farm producing extra virgin olive oil, grains, and tobacco used for the famous Toscana cigar. In addition to the main house a smaller building, now completely restored, was once used for drying tobacco leaves.

The ground floor rooms of the main house were stables for Chianina beef cattle, well- known for providing delicious "Fiorentina" steak. The upper floor was the family’s home. Due to extensive restoration in the 1970’s, external walls and parts of the interior remain from the original building,

THE ROOMS
Camera Rosa faces south with access to the balcony and views of Montepulciano. It has a king-size bed which can be converted to twin beds. It offers a spacious bathroom with shower. It is furnished with a wardrobe and toilette from the 1800’s, a liberty chest of drawers, armchairs and chairs from the 1800’s and a Persian carpet. The walls are pale pink.

Camera Verde faces north and has views over Arezzo, Castiglion Fiorentino and Cortona, and looks over our grove of olive and fruit trees. It has a king-size bed and a bathroom with shower. It is furnished with a table and wardrobe in liberty style, chairs from the 1800’s and a Persian carpet. The walls are pale green.

Camera Azzurra faces northwest. This room has views over Sinalunga, Monte San Savino, Lucignano, Arezzo and Castiglion Fiorentino. It has a queen-size bed which can be converted to twin beds, also a large bathroom with separate bath and shower and double sinks. It is furnished with pieces from the 1800’s and has a Persian carpet. The walls are pale blue.

Camera dei Fagiani is a new room in the restored smaller building (20 metres from the main house). This room has a view of Cortona and the pastoral fields of nearby farms. The name means “pheasants' room”. You can hear and see pheasants during the day, because the rolling farmlands around Casa Bellavista are part of a game preserve. The room has a queen-size bed and bathroom with shower. It is furnished with pieces from the 1800’s including a wardrobe, toilette and chest of drawers. The walls are pale cream. The carpet is Persian .

SERVICES AND FACILITIES
We offer the following services:
• Buffet breakfast
• Dinner: a fixed menu, four course meal of traditional Tuscan dishes at € 35.00 per person, drinks excluded
• Organization of excursions and winery visits
• Mountain bikes
• Piaggio Vespa scooters
• Garden with furniture
• Pine grove with hammocks
• Olive grove and fruit orchard
• Children’s games
• Library and satellite television in the common rooms
• Cooking classes for up to 4 people
• Swimming pool (6m x 14m)
• Jacuzzi
• Preparation of picnic lunches
• Bar service
• Laundry service
• Outdoor parking
• Internet access on request
• English spoken

AVAILABLE NEARBY
• 9 hole golf course at 6km
• Sport fishing at 10km
• Water park at 15km
• Riding center at 2km
• Cycling road at 3 km