Castellana

"Giotto" (1266/7 – January 8, 1337), is really one of the most famous Italian painters in the whole history. He was not just a painter but also an architect, born in Florence in the late Middle Ages. He is generally considered the first in a line of great artists who contributed to the Italian Renaissance.

Giotto's contemporary Giovanni Villani wrote that Giotto was "the most sovereign master of painting in his time, who drew all his figures and their postures according to nature. And he was given a salary by the Comune of Florence in virtue of his talent and excellence."

His masterpiece is the decoration of the Cappella degli Scrovegni in Padua, Italy (completed around 1305). This fresco cycle depicts the life of the Virgin and the life of Christ.

A trip to Tuscany wouldn’t be complete without a visit to one of the biggest and most majestic castles in the region, The Rocca di Pierle in the Cortona area, beside the village of Pierle. The ruins of this magnificent structure still stand tall over Val di Pierle and many of its walls are still intact! Visitors would thoroughly enjoy a close up view of the castle and could stay in one of many farmhouse accommodation in the Cortona area for a day or two while they explore this beautiful area with a nice selection of historical and cultural activities to engage in.

Lake Trasimeno is one of the most beautiful lakes on the Italian peninsula. It lies just over the border of Tuscany near Cortona, and dominates the northwestern part of Umbria.

The lake is surrounded on three sides by the hills that are so common throughout the region, with a lowland stretching out from the west of the lake. Olive groves dot the hills surrounding the area, and hills nearest Tuscany also grow many grapes, along with other fruits and vegetables. The climate here is warmer that the other hills surrounding the lake, as they are at a lower elevation. Portions of the shores are covered in many older pines, willows and poplars; many of them over 30m tall.

The towns on the lake are all rather small in population. Some of the notable ones are Passignano sul Trasimeno, Tuoro, Monte del Lago, Torricella, San Feliciano, San Arcangelo, Castiglione del Lago, and Borghetto. Castiglione del Lago is probably the most well known as its the largest peninsula onto the lake and has the largest shoreline by far. The water of Trasimeno remains very clean, with very few large farms and a small population living on the lake it has been able to avoid some of the modern problems.

If you had to cancel a holiday last year or it just feels like a very, very long time since your last vacation (or it actually has been a very, very long time since your last vacation) then you will probably be chomping at the bit to ensure that you secure a getaway this year. With things improving and more and more destinations opening up and getting ready to welcome tourists, we have had a massive surge in villa bookings and many of our best properties are being snatched up. So, if you don't want to miss out, it is time to get thinking about planning your next trip. While some of our villas are completely booked up throughout the rest of the year, other wonderful gems still have pretty good availability for the rest of 2021. Here is a selection of just some of our Tuscan villas with the best availability for you to browse but we'd recommend that you book your villa in Tuscany soon or miss out!

Cortona is a charming medieval hilltown in Tuscany which is an important artistic and cultural centre. Within the walls of the town, it can sometimes seem as though time has stopped long ago and everywhere you turn, you will see historic architectural gems. However, some of the real highlights of the town and its surrounding area are its churches. The Church of Santa Maria Nuova, in particular, as a centralised square-plan Renaissance church, is a prime example of an important principle of Renaissance construction. Santa Maria Nuova was built by Giorgio Vasari in 1554 and is an example of one of that great architect’s later works. If you’re an architecture lover and have found a luxury villa in Cortona, be sure to stop by and check it out.