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WHO WE ARE
Hotel Villa Belvedere is an 18th century tuscan villa, surrounded by lovely italian gardens.
Originally, it was the private residence of Count Ceramelli, a florentine nobleman. The Count hosted visits from Ferdinando III, Archduke of Austria (1820) and Grand Duke Leopold II (1845). Other guests of the Ceramelli family came to the Villa Belvedere from Florence. The family would come in the spring and spend several months, bringing their servants, horses, coaches and baggage. It is interesting that the drive from Florence is now 25 minutes.
Twenty years ago, it was decided to change the property into a hotel to preserve it. Many restorations were done to the building. My family decided to rent it. All of us, and our parents before us, were in the hotel business. There are four of us (families Conti and Iannone). If you decide to stay at our Villa, you will become part of the "family.
You will meet my brother Giovanni, at the reception in the afternoon or at dinner time in the restaurant - when he isn't away on his Harley Davidson; my sister - in - law, Daniela, busy in office administration and assisting the kitchen; my husband Daniele, the First Chef who prepares wonderful dishesh with old recipes from tuscan tradition; and me, Silvia, at the desk on your arrival or departure or in the breakfast room or at lunch in the restaurant. Our children Lucrezia and Leopoldo, and our nieces Eugenia, Carlotta e Ilaria help us when they are not at school.
When you leave Hotel Villa Belvedere, we hope you will take with you the memory of a little slice of real italian life and know that our family will be happy to see you again!
Silvia
HOTEL
- 15 rooms with private bathroom and views of tuscan hillsides.
- Each room stylishly furnished with telephone, television (sat TV).
- Central position between Florence and Siena, very close to S.Gimignano and Monteriggioni, in the heart of Chianti.
- Possibility to have breakfast in the garden.
- In our large italian garden we grow our aromatics herbs to use in creating typical tuscan dishes.
- Panoramic Terrace View of San Gimignano.
- Tennis court, swimming pool.
RESTAURANT
Traditional tuscan cuisine. Our chefs prepare homemade pasta and cakes daily. Typical tuscan favorites are "steaks fiorentine", white beans, vegetable pudding.
We offer a large selection of wines from the region. We feature olive and grappa produced in nearby farms.
The villa offers several options for dining. Either inside in our popular restaurant or outside on our large open patio during warmer months.
COOKING SCHOOL
The best way to learn the different specialities of this region is to travel around trying out everything, but when you return home, those flavors are gone. If you find a restaurant in your home town that specializes in tuscan cooking, it normally has a California or New York accent put on it. Not the real thing. Because of this, we have opened a cooking school that will teach you how to make these wonderful dishes, and then you can bring them back with you. Maybe even open your own restaurant!
Tuscany cooking has long been a standard for italian cooking. Not only is the language the purest form of italian, but also, the food is the purest, using the ingredients that are from the region and combining them to make extraordinary rustic dishes. If you've ever had "Ribollita", you understand.
You will spend an average of 1 and 1/2 hour a day (from 10.30 to 12 noon) in the kitchen, learning ancient tuscan recipes. After that, you can relax in our garden, drinking a house cocktail. At 12,30 p.m. you will have lunch in our restaurant, tasting your work. During your meal, you can drink white and red wine of the region. At the end of your "bella" experience, you will receive a little book with some recipes and a participation certificate.
HOW TO ARRIVE
By Car
- From Milan-Bologna-Florence
Highway A1: Exit in "Firenze Certosa" and take the freeway Firenze-Siena. Exit in Colle Val d'Elsa sud . At the exit turn right direction Colle Val d'Elsa. The hotel in on your right.
- From Rome
Reach Siena, take the freeway Siena Firenze and exit Colle Val d'Elsa.
By Train
Train station Firenze SMN or Siena. Then take the SITA/TRA-IN bus to Colle Val d'Elsa.
By Bus
SITA/TRA-IN bus from Florence and from Siena.
 | Basse saison | Pleine saison |
| min | max | min | max |
| Simple | 60.00 | 70.00 | 88.00 | 90.00 |
| Double | 80.00 | 90.00 | 90.00 | 100.00 |
| Triple | 100.00 | 120.00 | 142.00 | 150.00 |
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