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Italy is one of my popular destinations and rightfully so. A short flight away, you can enjoy a vacation in the Tuscan countryside with breathtaking views. All this in combination with excellent restaurants and fine Italian cuisine, a designed hotel, fascinating archaeological sites, impressive churches and cathedrals, visiting wineries, strolling through the alleys of charming towns and more.

Culinary enthusiasts like me will be able to enjoy food tours, cooking workshops, baking, pasta making, wines and more. Italians are warm and people-loving people, they love tourists and know how to host and pamper.

Our trip focused on the Tuscany region. You can arrive like us through the airport in Rome or any other airport that suits you. From there you can rent a car or get by train to any town or city you want. To enjoy the Tuscany region and the charming towns, I recommend renting a car.  

I will open with an offer for a unique accommodation in a spectacular place. To enjoy the Tuscan experience we chose to stay at Il Falconiere Relais & Chateau near the charming town of Cortona. A magnificently beautiful estate from the 17th century (1650) located in the Tuscan countryside, in the heart of vineyards and a winery and includes a restaurant that has been decorated with a Michelin star for twenty years, a luxurious health center with two outdoor swimming pools and an indoor pool combined with a spa, Turkish bath, saunas, beauty treatments and massages.

The estate is managed professionally and with endless dedication by Silvia Baracchi,  the owner and is also a decorated chef. The mansion, which previously belonged to her husband Ricardo's family, was renovated and opened to the public in 1989 and renovated again two years ago. Starting in 2002, she joined the prestigious and branded chain Relais & Chateau and the restaurant there won a Michelin star. The restaurant is a unique and recommended gastronomic gem. It is located in a converted orange nursery, serving traditional and modern Tuscan dishes as well as particularly indulgent breakfasts.

 Guests are also invited to taste wines from the Baracchi winery belonging to the owners of the estateThe winery produces seven types of red wine and another three types of white wine, all amazing and of high quality, and a total of 130,000 bottles per year). You can also join one of the gourmet cooking courses and workshops under the Tuscan sun. We joined the pasta making workshop with Chef Silvia and loved every moment, including the meal after. "My passion is first of all for food" - admits the charming and lively Silvia, who offers daily cooking workshops to her guests. The Falconaire, it is important to emphasize, is open from the 15 of March to the end of November.

In the estate, which covers 12 hectares (120 dunams), there are 31 rooms and meticulously designed villas in different sizes from 35 - 60 meters. The rooms are scattered throughout the estate, which includes vineyards and olive groves, cypress and pine trees and a spectacular Tuscan landscape. All rooms are spacious and air-conditioned, designed, modern and pleasant architecture, rooms with large balconies facing the vineyards and the magical view. Each room has a flat-screen satellite TV and a private bathroom. Guests can relax by the pools with sun beds and deck chairs. The service here is kind and indulgent and includes 70 employees.

The mansion, which includes free private parking, is as mentioned 2.5 kilometers from the historic center of Cortona and it is recommended to visit the town built on a mountain and includes small streets, an impressive church and more. In general, the magical area is intended for trips by car, bicycles that can be rented at the estate and hiking.

To enjoy Tuscany you have to travel it. I recommend a visit to the city of Florence, where you can visit the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, spectacular in its beauty and power, the Ponte Vecchio bridge, the Uffizi Gallery, the famous David statue, Piazza Michelangelo from where you can look out over the city, visit, like us, the Church of Santa Maria Novella near the train station, in Republic Square and more.

At a 15-minute drive from the estate you will reach Lake Trasimeno, at a 30-minute drive the town of Montepulciano. Other recommendations are of course to visit the town of Siena, Sangeminiano for its impressive towers, the Chianti road, Montepulciano and more. Spectacular and fascinating Tuscany. Try and enjoy.

For details about  accommodation

https://www.ilfalconiere.it/en/