Here is a partial list of services we offer to make your stay at Il Rifugio more pleasant and more interesting. We will send you a complete list with prices after you book and about a month before your arrival date so you have time to consider our services.
If there is something you would like that we haven't offer here, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to fulfill your request.
We cannot guarantee that all services will be available all the time so please plan ahead and let us know what you want before you arrive so we have time to make any necessary arrangements.
In-House Dinner
This is a very popular service that we provide for
our guests. We shop for, prepare, cook and serve a fantastic
5 course dinner at Il Rifugio, and then cleanup
after. We also buffet dinner service where you serve
yourself and clean up after. Dinners take some specific
planning such as the type of meal and the number of
people eating. Due to the preparation and time required
for a meal, there is a 6 person minimum for in house
dinners.
Wine Tasting
This is a highly customizable service performed by Marco Molesini who is a professional English speaking sommelier with extensive knowledge of local and regional Italian wines. The tasting can take place at Il Rifugio where Marco will bring the glasses, wine and optionally some traditional meats, cheeses and bread to compliment the wine. He can customize his talk based on the interests of the participants. It can range in subject matter from how to taste wine to specific details of wine from a particular region or a discussion of Italian wines in general. The tasting can be blind, vertical or horizontal. We can also combine the tasting with an in-house dinner, matching a wine to each course of the meal.
Cooking Class
If you love Italian food and you love to cook, then
why not let us plan an Italian cooking lesson for you
while you are at Il Rifugio. Using the freshest seasonably
available food, you will plan, shop for, and prepare
a delicious Italian feast where the main ingredients
are fun and laughter.
Cooking classes take some planning
and instructors are often unavailable so please let us know a month or two ahead if you want to schedule a class. This will
give us the best chance of getting a class scheduled
for you. Classes are a half or full day and prices include food
but not wine.
Renascence Art Night
Brush up on your art history and spend an evening at Il Rifugio immersed in Italian Renascence life. We will bring in a local expert of Renascence art to give a talk on the subject and provide a dinner comprised of typical food from the period while listen to Renascence music. Go bonkers and dress for the occasion.
Catered Stay
If you are interested in taking full advantage of your
vacation by not doing any of the usual day-to-day
activities such as cleaning, cooking, driving or even
thinking of where to go while you are at Il Rifugio,
we offer anything from basic to a full service stay.
We can provide house cleaning services, meals, transportation
and even arrange for day trips. Since this service is
so variable, we will have to quote each individual request.
Let us know your needs and we will do our best to fulfill
them.
Stone Sculpting
Ok, so you have been to a couple of hill towns and you don't feel like getting in the car today but you want to do something in spirit of the ancient Tuscan past while you are at Il Rifugio. Take a day and put chisel to stone and release what your mind's eye already knows is there. Join the ranks of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Bernini and the other Italian artists that defined the art of stone sculpting. Now it's your turn. Go home with your own masterpiece and the tools that created it.
House Cleaning
You will be on vacation after all, so why not have
someone take care of the house cleaning details for
you. Of course when you arrive at Il Rifugio the house
will be completely cleaned with all fresh linens but
if you want an additional mid-week or daily cleaning
service, we can arrange for someone to come in and keep
the house tidy for you. It is best to let us know in
advance so we can schedule someone to accommodate your
specific needs.
Private Local Tours
Cortona -
A walking tour
of Cortona where you will be taken through the streets
and told about the art, architecture and rich ancient
history of the town. This tour is highly customizable
and can concentrate on certain aspects of your particular
interest. Tour duration can last from a minimum of one
hour to the better part of the day. You will get the
most out of the tour by keeping the group small so it
is requested that no more than 10 people attend at one
time.
Museum Tour -
Personalized
private tours can be arranged for any of the 3 local
museums. If you plan on visiting any of the local museums
this is the best way to do it.
Etruscan Tombs -
This tour includes an interesting walk from Cortona down to the Etruscan tombs. You will be allowed inside the tombs where your guide will explain the history and recent discoveries in and around the tombs.
Olive Oil Tasting
Like the wine tasting, this also can be customized
to suit your taste. It will be performed by an English
speaking person that is very knowledgeable about the
local olive oil. You can arrange to have the tasting
at a at Il Rifugio or at the home of the person hosting
the tasting. The tasting can include food in the form
of local meats and cheeses and some local wine. Due
to the preparation and time required for the tasting,
there is a 6 person minimum requirement.
Prefix Lunch or Dinner at Local Restaurant
This is a bargain and a great experience in my book.
Very good friends of mine, Deborah& Arnaldo Rossi,
the owners of "Ristorante Pane e Vino" in
Cortona, have prepared 3 prefix menus especially for
guests of Il Rifugio. We can arrange for your party
to go when the restaurant is normally open or in some
instances off hours for a private party if their schedule
permits.
Each course of the prefix meal is paired with a glass
of wine. The prefix menu requires that you select one
of the 3 choices and there is a minimum of 6 people.
Even if you don't want the prefix meals, go and order
from their regular menu any time. You definitely won't
be disappointed and you just might learn something about
regional Italian food and wine. Many of the great deserts
are homemade by Deborah.
Eating at Pane e Vino is not just a meal... it's an
education.
