”Il Casale” a Residence (apartment hotel), reconstructed from a 16th century structure, looks out upon the towers, the domes, the vegetation, and the sky of Cortona, a city of ancient and mysterious origins. Frequented by Mitterand, seat of a University of Georgia art program, and host to the prestigious Annual Exhibition of Antique Furniture. Cortona is a city closer to heaven than to the train station. The rural complex is situated near the center of San Pietro a Cegliolo, a hamlet of the Comune di Cortona. Today it is a welcoming and comfortable Residence nestled in the silence of a particularly charming and naturally scenic setting. The buildings are organized around what was once a large farmyard, and the house, with its tower rising high above the other structures, is by far the oldest building. The ten apartments (with accommodations for 4, 3 or 2 persons) offer simple yet elegant amenities -- from furnishings to services -- all with an eye to facilitating modern day living. The Residence preserves some of its original characteristics: the split level roof and the outside stairway with its wide second floor landing. Behind a wing of the complex, the swimming pool measuring 16m x 18m (48ft x 54ft), is built according to the most modern hydraulic standards. In the background: at a distance of only 3 kilometers, the outline of Cortona a city that is at once Etruscan, medieval, and renaissance.

By car: when coming from Milano, Rome or Florence on the Autostrada del Sole,? exit at the Valdichiana exit and take the superstrada toward Perugia. After a few kilometers, take the Cortona exit which brings you in the vicinity of the Abbacy of Farneta. (The abbacy is an historically significant sight to visit both for its 9th century crypt and for its museum of archeology and paleontology.) Continue through the valley, following the signs for Cortona until you arive at Camucia. At Camucia, if your destination is Villa Serena, you go up the hill toward Cortona. The Villa is to the right of Cortona and can be reached by taking Via Gino Severini which takes you toward Le Contesse and Palazzone. If on the other hand you are going to Residence IL Casale, then, instead of climbing toward Cortona, take the State Road 71 in the direction of Arezzo. Once past Sodo (with its Etruscan tombs), you will come upon a view of Residence IL Casale on the right. By train: the closest station is the one in Camucia, but some express trains and Intercity trains stop at Terontola (approx. 10 kilometers from Cortona) while others stop in Arezzo (30 kilometers from Cortona and 25 kilometers from Residence IlCasale)