I recently spent a week at Il Casale with my husband and friends and we all found this place to be a lovely retreat. The gardens are beautiful and the swimming pool area is a delightful place to relax under the Tuscan sun.

Our accommodation was rustic, comfortable and relaxing and we all enjoyed having our meals outside our apartment. The apartment felt more like a little house with our own area of garden. Il Casale's position is very handy to reach a lot of interesting places and Cortona is a short drive away. (It is very reasonable to take a taxi if you wish to enjoy a few drinks in Cortona's ancient square). We drove to Siena and Lake Trasimeno with ease.

Vittorio, the owner and all his staff were very helpful and I would definitely recommend having breakfast at his other property, Villa Baldelli, which is just a short stroll away - it has a lovely terrace with views of Cortona and the breakfast was sumptious!

Il Casale is a lovely, relaxing retreat, but it is far more rustic than the website suggests. Our apartment was quite large, with a bedroom, living room/dining room, full kitchen and two bathrooms. The bedroom had a double bed (really two singles pushed together) plus another single bed, antique dresser, chest and wardrobe. In the living room, a large sofa, dining table for 3, small TV with satellite but no video or DVD player, and assorted antiques. The kitchen was outfitted with a full gas cooktop/electric oven and small refrigerator, a few pots and pans, and some cooking utensils. Each bathroom contained a toilet, sink and shower, but no bathtub. On the grounds you could enjoy a clean, spacious pool, a garden area with chairs and tables, picnic and barbecue facilities, and a laundry room (washers only, no dryers but drying racks).

Our major complaint was that, contrary to their website and the information on Venere, there is no internet anywhere on the grounds, wireless or otherwise. When we asked about the internet, we were told they could not understand why the internet was not working and perhaps it was due to the weather. We had to go to the hotel next door, which is owned by the same family, and even there the wifi did not always work, but they let us use their computer. (When the wireless service does work, the charge is exhorbitant, but they gave us a reduced price after our complaints.)

Although the staff, both at Il Casale and Villa Baldelli, were extremely nice and helpful, the hotel did not provide what we felt were an appropriate level of supplies for a residence where people stay for several weeks. For example: They did not supply dishwashing soap, sponges, or paper towels for the kitchen, nor sufficient quantities of toilet paper and soap for the bathrooms, which we had to purchase ourselves. The maid service is once per week although you can arrange and pay for more frequent cleanings. However, when the apartment was cleaned, the soaps that were there were taken away, no new soap was left, and the sponge that we had purchased for cleaning the bathrooms was removed. This may have been an oversight and when we brought the office’s attention, we received a new sponge and two or three small packs of soap. There were extra pillows and blankets, but no extra towels. We were surprised to find there were no basic food supplies other than salt and pepper: no oil, sugar, coffee, spices; the cooking utensils were absolutely minimal (for instance, no spatula, slotted spoon, paring knives, plastic containers—essential things for cooking). The buildings, which date back to the early 1800s, are quaint but the plumbing system needs major work (the drains never stopped gurgling and popping), and, given the lack of windows, the only way to get light and air into the apartment was to leave the doors propped open. This, of course, meant major problems with flies and mosquitoes. The heating did not seem to work, either, which was needed at night even in early June. The original terracotta tile floors look beautiful, but you can hear every footstep of the people above you, which were sufficiently loud as to wake us up during the night and early every morning, and we’re both sound sleepers.

Il Casale is close and convenient to Cortona, assuming you have a car, as well as many other tourist attractions in Tuscany and Umbria. It's a good deal, since for the price of a small room at an inexpensive hotel – 100 euros a night -- you can get yourself a large apartment with kitchen. The photographs online are a bit misleading, so know what you’re getting into: this isn’t a luxury resort by any stretch; it’s a rustic retreat.

Beautiful location for touring Tuscany. We loved the amenities - pool, kitchen,laundry. The location is walking distance to grocery and hike to Cortona. Train station is nearby. We appreciated the general quiet atmosphere and rustic surroundings. Would reccomend this location to anyone interested in touring Tuscany with a few days to soak in the sun by the pool.

I had a wonderful experience at Il Casale villas. The owners were friendly and the grounds were beautiful. It made for the best trip to Italy. The pool was immaculate and open for swimming at all hours. The rooms were spacious and fully equipped for cooking.