Il Falconiere

Once the home of a poet and now a beautiful small luxury hotel above the town of Cortona, Tuscany, we fell in love with Il Falconiere, its views across the Tuscan landscape and its private groves of olive trees and vines.

The building dates back to the 1600s and has been given a wonderful restoration preserving those beautiful thick stone walls, wooden beams and original fireplaces. More modern additions have been sensitively worked in to the overall scene to include two swimming pools and a stunning conservatory offering vistas across to Cortona and the valley below.

Just 19 rooms means this charming hotel can give the very most of personal attention. All are beautifully and individually decorated with taste and style. Plenty of fabrics and rugs add a touch of softness against the warmth of traditional terracotta tiles. We liked the details that many of the rooms have – original frescoes on the walls, four-poster beds in some of the rooms, restored and antique furniture – the whole working together to recreate scenes of complete relaxation and deliciously refined comfort. As if you needed another excuse to stay at Il Falconiere, the restaurant has recently been awarded a Michelin star and subsequently draws quite a crowd from all around Tuscany.

Being a resident at the hotel will push you well ahead of the crowd, however, ensuring that you have many opportunities to indulge in some of the finest dishes the region has to offer. The hotel is quite modest, though, when it comes to its talents, noting that, “it’s really quite easy to cook well and create wonderful dishes if you begin from the very best quality ingredients.” Going on to add that, “the search for the very best products is an integral part of our philosophy.” Good on them and with all of those olive trees and vineyards around they can’t be short of inspiration.

The Baracchi family, who restored the luxury villa and now run the hotel, are also very active in the wine-making fields, producing some very fine creations from Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. With its location to die for just outside of the beautiful town of Cortona, that sensuality inherent in the landscape, utterly delicious food and the complete immersion in Tuscan beauty this is a hotel that stands out for a honeymoon or a break away where you just want to stop, indulge and focus on what is really important in life. A very special romantic place indeed.