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 Contact Information

Villa Marsili Hotel
Address - Viale C.Battisti, 13, 52044, Cortona

 General Information

"Besides the fascinating history of the building itself and the
A very old Church, named Madonna degli Alemanni, as well an Oratory below, was situated on the site of the hotel since the beginning of the XIV Century. At the level of the present Hall there was the Church, while the Oratory was on the lower level, joined together by a flight of stairs that can still be seen in the breakfast room. The Church was built as a place of worship for a miraculous image representing Virgin Mary's bust holding the Holy Child: it is a XIV Century terracotta (Madonna della Manna) that you can see today in the Cortona Duomo.

As for the origin of the name ""Madonna degli Alemanni"" this probably due to fact that a Goth colony that settled nearby during the Crusades to rest or maybe to recover from disease. Afterwards the name was shortened into ""Madonna della Manna (Godsend)"" . The Church contained remarkable works of Art. Besides the above mentioned terracotta, there was a large picture representing Our Lady of Assumption, attributed to Andrea del Sarto, which is nowadays in the Cortona Duomo Choir area. There was a wooden Christ by F.Fabbrucci, complete with a carved case, which is now in the Holy Spirit Church in Cortona. The devotion for the Madonna della Manna increased steadily over the years and the Church became too narrow, so the old Church was destroyed in 1730 and a larger one built in its place.

The new church took only ten years to build. The terracotta image of Mother Mary was placed on the high altar and given a sumptuous frame made out of golden wood by a Cortonese artist. The terracotta with its frame is now in the Duomo of CortonaThe Church was adorned with stuccos and frescoes and other paintings were added. Only one painting is left: Mother Mary with Sant Andrea Avellino by the Cortonese artist F.Fabbrucci (XVIII Cent.). There are two gothic style capitals remaining of the old Church as well as two frescoes that were on the North wall of the present brakfast room. Now they are in the Istituto delle Suore Serve di Maria Riparatrici, in G.Severini street, just opposite the Hotel.

The first fresco, painted in Bartolomeo della Gatta's school (XV Cent.) represents Mother Mary holding the Holy Child painted on a roof tile in front of an oak tree: that's why it is called ""Madonna della Quercia (oak tree)"" . The second fresco, by an unknown artist, represents Job and is dated 1504. On the 8th October 1741, by decree issued by Marchese Sforza Pallavicini of the Rev.mo Capitolo of Saint Peter in Rome, the Madonna degli Alemanni (della Manna) and the Holy Child image was crowned during a solemn ceremony in the Duomo in Cortona and it is still on its altar today. Sadly, the Archduke Leopoldo of Tuscany decreed the demolition of numerous Churches throughout his territory, among them Madonna degli Alemanni. The church was demolished in 1786.

In its place was built an elegant mansion very similar to the present Villa Marsili. In its long history, the building has been a girl's boarding school and, more recently, a state school.

Charm of its location in historic Cortona, the views from Hotel are absolutely outstanding. Each window has a panoramic view of the Valdichiana, Mount Amiata, Mount Cetona, Lake Trasimeno and the surrounding picturesque hills. You can also appreciate the skyline of Cortona with its bell towers its bell towers and its ancient stone walls, situated on the mountain that has housed the town since early Etruscan times. Villa Marsili is situated inside the town walls. The villa dates back as far as late '700 and the present owners have restored all original style details and architectural characteristics lost through centuries of previous interventions.

The atmosphere of the Hotel is discreet and elegant and the hotel is endowed with all modern facilities and comforts and technological devices. The hall and the bedrooms are beautifully decorated and frescoed and are tastefully and comfortably furnished with antique furniture. The outdoor space crowns the villa. On the South side the main façade looks onto a garden area occupied by a pergola where guests can take their breakfast whilst enjoying a dramatic view of the Valdichiana and Lake Trasimeno. On the North side the yard has been turned into a winter garden where friends can meet and chat and drink tea in a refined atmosphere while the eyes rest on the ancient houses of the Borgo San Domenico nearby.

 Amenities

 Rates

Day rates starting from 90 (EURO)