La Casa Dipinta (the painted house) is a uniquely beautiful, ancient house in the centre of the small town of Lucignano in Tuscany's Valdichiana area.

Lucignano is a picturesque, thriving little town, neatly tucked into the stunning Tuscan scenery between Arezzo and Cortona. The bric-a-brac and antique shops of Monte San Savino (that town's tempting specialty!) are a mere 8 km from La Casa Dipinta, while the Etruscan museum and the gold shops of Arezzo are just 30 km away. The cute little ferry boats out to the islands of Lake Trasimeno (much loved by Saint Francis) are also 30 km away. For the great art of Tuscany and Umbria, wine sampling excursions, shopping for fashion bargains at The Mall, ceramics in Cortona or jewels on Florence's Ponte Vecchio - you'll find this unique house is perfectly placed whatever your interests! The trim little town of Lucignano offers plenty of shops, banks and bars as well as 8 excellent eateries along its circling streets. In short, if you are looking for something truly special for your next holiday in Tuscany - stop - you've just found it!

Built in 1248, this three storey house has been lovingly restored by the current owners, two English speaking journalists from Milan. Antonia and Giovanni have created an apartment of their own on the ground floor, so they are on hand should you need them, though never intrusive if you don't! La Casa Dipinta has its own, independent front door, then there's a set of ancient stone stairs take you up to the first floor and on into the formal sitting room. This is a truly unique sitting room - a world away from your average holiday home! Of course, you may prefer to carry on up to the top of the house to the informal sitting room if you want to lounge in front of the TV. But if there's a classical concert going on in the little piazza in front of La Casa Dipinta (and in summer there often is!), fling wide the windows of your formal sitting room and you'll find yourselves the envy of all, as you enjoy from the comfort of your own "private box". There's also the double bedroom, the twin bedroom and the bathroom on this floor. Carrying on up the stairs, you'll find a large and elegant bedroom which also offers great views of that little piazza outside the handsomely striped church of San Francesco. This floor also offers your informal sitting room cum dining room, and the kitchen with its door out to the balcony and those stunning views! The kitchen comes with a washing machine, a small dishwasher and Italian marble work surfaces - in other words, all mod cons including 4 gas hobs, an electric oven and a fridge.

Lucignano was once effectively divided into two towns. The religious folk lived at the top of the hill, with their several churches, while the ordinary townsfolk lived in the streets down below. La Casa Dipinta is within the top-most circle of ancient walls and, given how tall the house is, it is a safe bet that it was once a watch tower for the town's monasteries and churches. Antonia and Giovanni recently discovered a hidden, vaulted chamber when they were doing restoration work on the ground floor. Past owners of the tower would no doubt have found it useful to have a secret "safe" to hide away the church's treasures in turbulent times - what a pity our dedicated restoration workers found it empty! At one stage in Lucignano's history the naughty nuns and jolly friars became a tad too frolicsome - so the bishop put up the "singing stone", just a few steps away from La Casa Dipinta. You'll see it as you head out shopping or to eat. No, the stone didn't sing - it was there to remind the religious half of the town (your half!) that singing in the streets below the stone was fine, but they must be silent and observe their holy vows once they'd passed it on their way back up the hill to their chaste beds!

To holiday in La Casa Dipinta is a unique opportunity to experience the world of once-upon-a-time. You simply can't do better if you are looking for "genuine Tuscany". Don't miss the amazing "Albero", a gold and silver reliquary made at Arezzo in the 14th century and now housed in the town's little museum. You'll find Lucignano is a truly delightful town with its concentric pattern of ancient streets, choice of nearby eateries, and its air of medieval refinement - and La Casa Dipinta is the wonderful cherry on top!