Set on a lush, level hill top, dotted with olive trees, conifers and wild rosemary, just a 10 minute drive to Cortona, this old stone Italian farm house is situated next to an ancient Etruscan and Catholic holy site (the Madonna Del Bagno) that takes you back in time. If you like the natural beauty and quiet of the countryside with modern amenities, this VRBO is the place for you. The hosts, Tommy and Lucy, are very kind and helpful, available to answer any questions about the property and the locale while also remaining invisible and respectful of the privacy of their guests. Imbued with charm, the focal point of the main seating area in the house is the fabulous stone fireplace. The home is clean and cozy, full of books, maps and art from the owners’ travels. The garden, lawn and pool area are beautiful with many spots for contemplation or entertaining. The one mile road to the house from the center of Pergo wends its way up, taking you past several private villas and offering incredible views of the Val D’Orcia region.

The hosts were extremely friendly and welcoming, and attentive to our every need

Clean and lovely decor, great spot in the hills, Tommy always available on wats app and is nearby so can call in if needed but leaves you alone if not, very happy with our stay in beautiful farmhouse

The house was at the top of a small local road, it felt as if it was both in the middle of the country but also close to good shops and the local town of Cortona. We walked down to the bar at the bottom of the road (about 20 min walk) for breakfast on a number of mornings which was a friendly and lively place and then had a good walk back up the hill afterwards - good exercise!The house is very pretty, situated right next to a wonderful small church. We were staying in the top half of the house and the owners were living on the ground floor. Because we had separate entrances and gardens we weren’t that aware of them - they were very friendly and welcoming and gave us some good tips on where to visit etc. The house had everything we needed and felt very much like a home that was lovingly cared for - sometimes these places feel soulless having been designed purely to be let, and are bland and basic, this one by contrast was homely and comfortable with a great book collection which I dipped into and obviously they must have an African connection as there were many wonderful pictures etc around. The kitchen was simple and old fashioned - but had a dishwasher which is important to me! Also had a good sized table where we ate every day. The sitting room had an amazingly huge fire place, we lit it many evenings and it was a real treat as we don’t have one at home. The bedrooms were comfortable and a perfectly good size. There was a good terrace outside the front door (which went straight into the kitchen) with a table and chairs. It looked out across the garden to the pool, across olive groves and pine trees to the other side of the valley. We sat out there a little but we were a little unfortunate with the weather and it wasn’t warm enough to eat out, I imagine it Is an amazing place for breakfast and lunch in warm and hot weather. We visited the local town of Cortona which was a typical hilltop town with a couple of nice museums. We also had some great day trips to places I visited many years ago and was keen to see again - Siena, Orvieto, Assisi and Arezzo. All in all it was an excellent holiday and I hope to go back to explore more next year - and would love to go back to this house - perhaps when we can be more sure of the weather and use the pool