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Published: September 17th 2023
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Patio with Purgola at Villa Ivana
Table well spaced apart where we gathered and ate most meals. Our friends arrived around the same time at Villa Ivana on Saturday to begin our 7 day stay in the Cortona area. The 9 bedroom Villa is an historical property that is nestled on a hillside within minutes of the old town. It is very spacious and reasonably comfortable with outdoor pool and a large pergola covered patio. It was fortunate that the large facility allowed some space for isolation, although 3 out of the 5 couples ended up positive with Covid, some showing mild to no symptoms. For the first few days, our plans were somewhat restricted but eventually we were able to get out and enjoy some of the attractions in the area.
Cortona is on the south east portion on Tuscany, close to the Umbria border. The old town’s origins can be traced back centuries with the area eventually taken over as part of the Roman Empire. Much of that long history has been preserved within the walled city that sits majestically over the Tuscan valley below. Cortona itself has a population of appx 23,000 people and many other towns close by make up part of what’s known as the Arezzo province. There are some interesting, scenic
Outside of Villa Ivana
The grounds were huge and at what time at 4 drives up to the villa with respective entrances. drives that meander through the hills and valleys, many that would be equal to the beauty in which the Tuscany region is noted. Close by in Umbria province is Lake Trasimeno. It‘s about an hours drive around the lake assuming no stops for lunch at the many restaurants that line its shores.
One stop of interest was Castiglione del Lago (Castle on the Lake) which was once the fourth Island on the lake but now filled in with the town. It is also has its historical roots as far back as the early Roman times and is known as the Fort of Threes (it has 3 Piazzas, 3 entrances to the walled city and 3 Churches. It was one of the few places where we could actually get a place to park. In many of the more popular walled cities such as Montepulciano and Pienza, it was almost iimpossible to find parking.
Italy has something similar to Spains Paradors which is part of the country’s Agriturisme initiative. On one of our drives, we stopped into a historical property that was converted to very unique hotel rooms, run by 3 different hotel groups, one of them being the Relais
Small community of Osais
A few minutes away from the Villa. chain. As with Spain, this is a great way to preserve the unique characteristics of these properties while at the same time promoting less popular areas, particularly in smaller communities.
Covid eventually cleared and we tested negative mid week which allowed more activity and we were able to enjoy a few good meals eaten on the spacious patiO at the Villa. On our last night, we had a “Covid free” group meal at a Pizzeria just a few minutes drive. We had ordered a takeout pizza from there earlier in the week ( 2 pizza’s each 1 meter long). Needless to say, there were lots of left overs. We had planned our last night dinner at a nice restaurant in Cortona but had a glitch in the reservation so the Pizzeria was our plan B.
After bidding “adieu“ to our friends on Saturday, we drove back to Florence, dropped off the car rental and took the train to Cinque Terre, the last leg of our Italy trip.
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