Tuscany hotels - Hotel Villa Marsili, Cortona - Luxury vacation accommodation in Tuscany, Italy

Sitting within the ancient walls of Cortona, this four-star hotel offers luxury accommodation in one of Tuscany's prettiest cities. Marvellous views and easy access to Lake Trasimeno, Siena and Florence make this a great holiday base in Italy.

With its elegantly decorated lounges, and finely furnished, frescoed bedrooms, Villa Marsili creates a cosy atmosphere within one of the town's most elegant residences.

Besides its historical importance, the hotel enjoys a scenic position: its rooms overlook the stunning landscape of the Valdichiana, with the Amiata and Cetona mountains, Lake Trasimeno, the gentle outline of the hills surrounding the city-walls, and Cortona's steeples and towers all combining to create a marvellous vista. Villa Marsili sits within Cortona's ancient walls and retains all the grace and charm of the original architectural structure.

The hotel has a main hall and 27 bedrooms, all finely and elegantly decorated and frescoed. The rooms include three suites and six deluxe bedrooms, with en-suite Jacuzzis, direct dial telephone, internet connection, air conditioning, mini-bar and safe. The same elegant yet cosy atmosphere suffuses the breakfast lounge, the sitting rooms with their fireplaces, and the scenic pergolas of the gardens. Here you can have a relaxing cup of tea while enjoying the lovely valley and the village's picturesque houses.

The history of the hotel is fascinating. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Church of the Madonna degli Alemanni stood on the spot. The church occupied the present hall floor, with the oratory on the lower floor; the linking staircase still connects the two floors. This was a place of cult and devotion: people came to worship a miraculous bust of the Virgin bust with Child, and the terra cotta piece is now on display in the Duomo di Cortona. The church was decorated with remarkable works of art: a painting of Our Lady of the Assumption, attributed to Andrea del Sarto, is now in the choir of the Duomo, and there was a wooden crucifix, by Fabbrucci, today in the Chiesa dello Spirito Santo in Cortona.