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PLACES TO VISIT
CORTONA
24 minutes away, Cortona is a beautiful and lively town to visit, especially at the weekend and in the evenings.
Restaurants range from great value to show stoppers.
Be sure to check out the view from outside the Duomo.
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MONTEPULCIANO
30 minutes due West of us is the delightful town of Montepulciano.
Famous for the wine from the surrounding vineyards, it's a town we never get tired of visiting.
Be warned the streets are very steep, and filled with near irresistible leather shops. Many a handbag has been purchased.
The main square hosts open air classical productions in the summer, probably worth booking well in advance if of interest.
VALDICHIANA SHOPPING OUTLET
Let's face it not everyone has an insatiable appetite for Italian Hill towns.
23 minutes away, where the local motorway meets the main A1, is the Valdichiana Shopping Outlet.
Very American in feel, some great bargains can be found here, though much of it is similarly priced to elsewhere.
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AREZZO
Often overlooked, even by Italians, Arezzo is a lovely little city just 50 minutes away. Unlike Assisi (below), it never gets too many tourists, and has a charm all of its own.
The main reason to come to Arezzo is for the Frescos in the Basilica di San Francesco, by Piero della Francesca. One of the masterpieces of the Renaissance, and a joy for all ages with its graphic novel layout.
Corso Italia runs the length of the old city, and has a fine range of shops, from the likes of the one left, to high end fashion boutiques.
ASSISI
Even as you approach it, it's difficult to not be impressed by Assisi.
An hours drive from the house, it sits just the other side of Perugia airport.
When St Francis died he asked for there to be no fuss around his burial.
So they entombed him in a simple stone chamber, which they surrounded with a small church.
On top of which the built a larger church with a monastery, and of top of that they built a cathedral.
More gorgeous frescos this time by Giotto, painted much earlier than ones in Arezzo.
You'll probably want to avoid certain days of the year, as it can get very full with pilgrims.
Outside of that, it's actually all very manageable, and even for the most sceptical, it's almost impossible not to feel you're somewhere very special.
WHERE TO FIND US
Localita Castagni 14
06061 Castiglione Del Lago PG
Italia
CONTACT ME DIRECTLY
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