Could it be Tuscan DNA or a new kind of pasta... Actually it's an old hand rail attached to an old building, without the old building.

Yes... Gas and electricity are included in your rental fee but please be aware of some facts. Electricity is very expensive in Europe, even more expensive in Italy where the citizens rejected the use of nuclear power. Each house is allowed 3 or 6 kilowatts (kW) of power. Il Rifugio has 6 however this still isn't much when you consider that a cloths washer uses 2.5 kW, a dishwasher 3 kW and an iron 2 kW, We have done what we can by using energy-saving lighting and making our guests aware but the rest is up to you. All that we ask is that you be thoughtful about your use of electricity. You can do this by staggering your use of electrical appliances and by turning off lights when they are not necessary. Gas is also very expensive in Italy, and not only for your car - ranging from 2 to 3 times what it cost in America, as does the liquid propane that powers the furnace for heating the house, the hot water, and the stove. Again we simply ask that you be reasonable about use, and try to remember to shut the doors and windows when the heat is on and consider putting on a sweater if a little chilled instead of cranking up the heat in the whole house. We want you to be comfortable but not wasteful.

Yes... Although we cannot anticipate all our guest's needs, we do supply the basic necessities for your stay, and enough of some items, such as tea, coffee, bottled water (although not necessary), and soft drinks, etc., for a couple of days to give you a chance to shop for your own needs. For example, the following consumables are provided and you will not need to buy them during your stay: toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, trash bags, hand soap, bath soap, dish washing soap, laundry detergent, general cleaning supplies and basic spices. We also keep a supply of wine available for your convenience. The wine you consume during your stay can be paid for at departure time.

Yes... This is another subject you should discuss with your travel agent. Travel insurance could cover the cost of your airfare and your rental fee at Il Rifugio should a last minute cancellation of your travel plans be necessary. Check out the Travel Insurance category on our "Links" page.

Yes... Most people will want to rent a car when visiting Tuscany. Cortona is centrally located in Tuscany and a mere 10 minutes from the house. In addition, visitors will find many wonderful places to explore within an hours drive of Il Rifugio. It would be best to arrange a car rental with your travel agent prior to your departure.

Although it is tempting with a large group, you should avoid renting a van. The narrow streets of Tuscany and Umbria's ancient hill towns are not van or big car friendly. Indeed the dirt road leading to Il Rifugio most definitely does not accommodate large vehicles. It is often cheaper and more flexible for two couples to rent two small cars rather than one larger car or van. In fact, we suggest renting a very small car with extra underside clearance, or a four-wheel drive vehicle. For pick up and drop off of car rentals, try to avoid an in-town location. The airport is usually the best bet since you would typically fly round-trip to and from the same city. As parking is next to impossible in the larger cities, consider taking the train to places like Rome and Florence. The smaller Tuscan hill towns often don't allow traffic in the historic centers but usually have parking within a very few blocks.

Yes... You need to have an International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive and in most cases to rent a car in Italy. The IDP is a translation of your driver's license so you need to bring your actual drivers license when you go to get your IDP. You can get an IDP at the AAA (Automobile Association of America). It is good for one year.
Here is a link to the AAA web site about obtaining an IDP.

Good... The train and bus service is excellent. There are two train stations close to Cortona and both are less than 15 minutes from Il Rifugio by car. A train ride to Florence is little over an hour and to Rome a little over 2 hours. Busses are available that depart from Cortona to much of the surrounding area.

Seasonal... Tuscan has four distinct seasons, and in general the weather is delightful, especially in spring, summer, and fall. Expect a certain amount of Mediterranean heat in July and August, sporadic rainfall in October and November, and cold winter nights with an occasional dusting of snow (lasting no more than a day or two on the ground) from January through March. Each season, too, has its delights: waves of wildflowers all spring, a toasting sun in summer, the olive harvest in autumn, and the silent beauty of winter.

Comfortable... Unless you plan to attend a formal function, it is best to dress comfortably. It has been my experience that Italians are very fashion conscience but non judgmental and besides, they are not traveling. It is probably a good idea to bring clothes that you can layer such as a sweater in the Spring and Fall season, light clothing during the Summer and some worm clothes in the Winter. It's always a good idea to have a compact umbrella on hand just in case of rain. A good comfortable pair of walking shoes are essential.

Most... All the bedroom windows and some of the other windows have screens.

No... It is very rare to find air-conditioning in a private home in Italy and this is true for Il Rifugio to. If the weather happens to be hot while you are staying at Il Rifugio, you can follow this time-honored tradition: close all doors, windows and drapes during the day to keep the sun out. In the cool of the evening, open up everything again until morning. This works especially well in the country with houses such as Il Rifugio, where the tick stone walls act as insulation from the heat in summer and the cold in winter

No... This can be done at any bank in Italy or better yet, you can use a 'bank-o-mat' (auto teller... Cortona has at least 3) to draw money from a credit or debit card. With the change over to the Euro (€) for currency, money transactions are much easier to understand these days. It's a good idea to have some Euro currency with you when you arrive. This will be useful to hold you over until you can get to a bank. Most banks in the US provide a currency exchange service (for a fee) but you might try a local coin shop. Some coin shops have enough foreign currency on hand to meet your needs and often charge a lower transaction fee than the banks.

Take a look...

Yes... We aren't control freaks. It's just that we need the time from departure of one party at 10:00 AM to the arrival of another party at 4:00 PM to completely clean the house, change and wash all the linens and restore order. That being said we do understand that problems beyond our control happen all the time and we want to do our best to accommodate you. Please keep us informed of any changes in your schedule as soon as they happen, and we will do everything in our power to help you in any way we can. If you do arrive very early or very late, our best alternative may be to find a hotel room for you until we can get you back on schedule.

Yes... There is a telephone at Il Rifugio and we only charge for actual use. At the beginning of your stay we record a message unit reading and again at the end of your stay, subtracting one reading from the other to obtain the number of message units used. This number is then multiplied by the rate to calculate your cost. We will subtract this amount from your security deposit. We have a cell phone available for your use. Cell phone service is prepaid in Italy by purchasing a phone card at a tobacco shop. There is no charge for the use of the phone other than the phone card which you can buy at any tobacconist or phone shop.

Yes... If you bring your laptop with you, in most cases you can set up a normal dial-up connection to the Internet. The only cost is for the local phone call while you are online. You will have to be knowledgeable enough about your computer to setup a dial up icon. We will provide the logon ID, password and phone number when you arrive.

Not necessary... We provide all of the necessary electrical adapters. Unless you have some special needs you should be fine.

Not necessary... We provide you with plenty of clean wash cloths, bath, hand and kitchen towels. Save some room in your suitcase for any purchases you may like to take back with you.

Yes... There is a hair dryer in each bathroom. Save the space in your suitcase for a bottle of wine on your return trip home.

Two ways... There are two ways you can handle your laundry needs: Hire someone or do it yourself. If you don't want to do your laundry, we can arrange for someone to do it for you. The cost will be by the hour and you can pay the person directly. Most people, however, will prefer to do their own laundry. There is a state-of-the-art washer and dryer at Il Rifugio; just be aware that washing machines in Italy, and Europe in general, take up to 3 hours to do a load. As part of our fuel and energy-conserving policy, we ask that you use the clothesline whenever possible. On warm days, the sun and fresh air does a faster job and many people prefer the results.

Not so good... Handicapped accessibility is not as prevalent in Europe as it is in the US. You should be aware that most public buildings such as museums typically do not have wheelchair accessibility. In addition, city centers and train transportation can be extremely difficult. If you must travel with a wheelchair, consider bringing the smallest, narrowest chair possible as doorways often have small openings. In addition we suggest you have someone who can carry you up or down stairs in an emergency. If you have a handicap of any kind please let us know so we can inform you of some of the challenges and do what we can to help you overcome them.

No... This can really get tricky and could make you crazy if you don't pay attention. In general all shops except restaurants close at 1:00 PM every day and reopen between 4:00 PM and 5:30 PM, depending on the shop, the time of year and the whim of the shop owner. There are also seasonal half-day closings on Wednesday, when certain shops stay closed for the rest of the afternoon. For future reference, it is best to jot down store hours of any shop that interests you as soon as you can. These are typically posted on the door or a window of the shop. However, we suggest you avoid critical planning based on the accuracy of the posted hours, especially with the smaller shops.

Absolutely... All of the above and more can be arranged at the time of booking. Be sure to mention anything you are interested in when booking your stay at Il Rifugio so we have time to get information and make arrangement when possible. Try to make these decisions early, and definitely before your arrival. The more time you allow, the more likely we will be able to help you. For things like the scheduling of flights or car rentals we suggest you speak with your travel agent.

Absolutely... Do check our Services page and be sure to mention anything you are interested in when booking your stay at Il Rifugio to give us time to get the information and make arrangements, whenever possible. Arrangements for these kinds of services must be made at least a couple of days in advance. As with the classes and tours, more time is better

Lots... I'm glad you asked! Of course not everybody will be thrilled with the simple things that entertain me, but if you are interested please check out our Things To Do page. You will find a list of simple, free activities while visiting Il Rifugio or exploring Cortona. And just remember, for the price of a cappuccino or a glass of wine, you can watch the world go by on the Via National, in Cortona, for hours.

They are...
January 1 - New Year's Day
January 6 - Epiphany
Easter Sunday & Monday
April 25 - Liberation Day
May 1 - Labor Day
June 29 - Saint Peter's and Saint Paul's Day
August 15 - Ferragosto (The Assumption of Mary)
November 1 - All Saints' Day
December 8 - Immaculate Conception
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 26 - Santo Stefano

No... The local people in Cortona are very friendly and patient with foreigners. They will do their best to make themselves understood and to understand you. Actually, many shop owners and younger people understand and speak English quite well. You may want to take an Italian language course while in Italy, for your own pleasure or for more in-depth conversations and ease of reading museum labels, etc. If you are interested, please mention this when you book Il Rifugio as we can arrange for group or hourly private lessons.

No... Although we have a pet and understand the attachment people have to their pets, we do not allow pets to stay at Il Rifugio. There are several reasons, ranging from our belief that long-term travel is hard on most animals to the fact that you may be jeopardizing your pets health by bringing it to an area where there are potential health and safety issues (insects, wild animals, etc.). We therefore ask that you leave your pets at home while staying at Il Rifugio. Send them a post card once in a while and bring them home a souvenir and I'm sure they will forgive you.

A Pig... A cinghiale is a wild boar that roams the countryside. Cinghiale are highly sought after by local hunters and many Tuscan recipes, including the pasta dishes with "cinghiale sauce" found in local restaurants, feature cinghiale meat. Don't worry, even though cinghiale are in the neighborhood of Il Rifugio, they are basically shy, nocturnal animals, as eager to avoid you as you are to avoid them. In other words, you are less rather than more likely to have a cinghiale-sighting during your visit.

Bad... Just want to see if you are actually reading all of the questions.