Carmina has 5 bedrooms and sleeps 10 adults or a group of 12 with children who can sleep three or four to room.
Carmina is an old mountain house (possibly three or four hundred years old) which commands striking views of the hills of Tuscany and Umbria. There is a long gravel road from the village to the house, steep (other houses on the way) in parts.
This has given trouble in the past but is now fine - we have driven up there in a Fiat Panda and Citroen C5 estate.It is not a good idea though to drive it in a fully loaded people carrier. Its only about eight minutes down to the centre of the village of Mercatale di Cortona.
The views from the top make it a worthwhile trip.
The house has five bedrooms and three bathrooms on three floors. There is a large kitchen and a separate dining room on the ground floor, a double bedroom, and a bathroom.
The middle floor (which can be reached via the external veranda or by a spiral stair from the kitchen) has a double bedroom and bathroom (shower), the original small farmhouse kitchen with fireplace.
From a small sitting room a few steps go down into a large bedroom with single beds; and a stair to the upper floor leads to a double bedroom and a room with two single beds. At the base of the stair, by the sitting area, is a very small bathroom with open shower. The furnishing is plain - not villa standard though we have discussed this with the owner and some new furnishing will appear this year.
Bed linen and towels are provided but you should take your own pool towels. There is ample water, including hot water. A covered open area at the back of the house provides permanent shade.
The swimming pool is 32 feet long and 15 feet wide and varies in depth from 4 feet six inches to 8 feet.
All the land around the house is part of the property and much of it is grassy with vines and the shade of an ancient oak. With a four wheel drive, or on foot, the mountain has many routes to explore and many superb and breathtaking views.
Carmina is eight minutes to Mercatale di Cortona. It is well placed for seeing Tuscany south of Florence; Siena, Montepulciano, Arezzo, Cortona, San Sepulcro (Piero Della Francesca); and the north of Umbria; Lake Trasimeno (ferries to islands, beaches, water sports), Orvieto, Perugia, Assisi, Gubbio, Castiglione del Lago, Spoleto, Spello, Todi.
The station at Terontola has regular trains to Florence and Rome as well as Perugia, Assisi, Orvieto and Arezzo. Italian trains are excellent and inexpensive.
