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Walking, Riding, Biking, and eating good food in Southern Tuscany

Ristonchia is a little hill village dating from Etruscan times, surrounded by olive orchards, typical mediteranean macchia (shrub woods), chestnut and oak woods and is situated ca. 500 m above sea-level on the south-western flank of the Appenine foothills between Cortona and Arezzo.

The local center/orientation point for us is Castiglion Fiorentino with it restaurants, shops, bus and railway station. It is 7 km further down the valley. You can reach us easily via a well maintained country road, which further up leads to walking paths and woodland tracks. 

Possibilities and Activities:

- Simply doing nothing, just enjoying sun, tranquillity, the good air and the view over the Chiana Valley and Mt. Amiata.
- 1 day trips to Arezzo, Florence, Perugia, Assisi or Rome ( all more or less easily to reach by train and bus)
- Visiting Etruscan excavations, fortresses, monastries, and various medieval small towns in the vicinity. 
- Dipping into the carp-pond below our village, swimming in the pool (3 km down valley) or in the Lake Trasimeno (20 km)  or bathing in the hot springs at Mt. Amiata. This mountain is 1700 m in hight and has a ski-lift in winter.

- Mountain biking tours for all degrees and abilities. Due to the mild spring temperatures here, this is an ideal way to get fit early in the season

- Walking, jogging, wandering or riding. Some of the most beautiful routes have been marked by the Italian Mountain Assóciation and registered on special maps. My domestic animals include a Haflinger/Maremmano horse and two large  Martina Franca donkeys - all good natured, children friendly and surefooted on the mountain tracks.
 
 

Accomodation :

   Friendly double bedrooms in a simple and tasteful restored typical tuscan farmhouse, built of natural stone with an open fire-place in the kitchen. Available are two adjecent double rooms , a sitting space and bathroom in the upper storage (max. 5 persons) or in the lower storage a double room with bath and private entrance and terrace.

   Catering : Normally I offer my guests half-pension, since I do not have independent units with cooking facilities. Half-pension includes an abundant breakfast according to your wishes, a sumptuous dinner of first-course, salad, maindish and dessert; the olive oil, wine, honey, vegetables and poultry are produced by us, as are home-made bread jams and pickles. Mushrooms are available in the right season. You will be surprised, how the Tuscan/Umbrian peasant cuisine combines harmoniously with the highest culinary requirements and with a wholesome organic nutrition; of course I also like cooking vegetarian if you so wish. To view dishes I might prepare for you, switch on  Menu

Prices  :       per person per week   (including breakfast and supper)  240.- Euro

                     children up to 12 years                                                 120.- Euro

                     children up to 2 years for free

                     guided riding tours and tours on foot (min. 2 persons)

                     1/2 day                                                                           20.- Euro

                     full day                                                                           30.- Euro

How to get here :

- By train via Florence or Arezzo to Castiglion Fiorentino, or via Rome to Castiglion Fiorentino, where you will be fetched by your host. For your excursions two mountain bikes are for your use.  

- By car, drive highway  Florence - Rome  Arezzo taking the Monte San Savino exit next to Arezzo and from there ca. 15 km of country-road to Castiglion Fiorentino, continue in the direction of Cortona. At the further end of Cast.-Fno. (3rd traffic light) turn left (road sign "Pievuccia") after ca. 200 m. take a right turn and stay on this road for the next 5 km. , when you will have reached Ristonchia.

- By foot via the European long.-distance wandering route ("GEA") on reaching the monastry La Verna in the Casentine hills take the turn-off  No. 50, direction Trasimeno - shortly before Monte St. Egidio turn downhill  the turnoff No. 557 direction Ristonchia.

Information and bookings : Walter Rossteuscher, Ristonchia Nr. 6,  I-52043 Castiglion-Fiorentino , Italy
                                               Telefone and fax : 0039-0575-651393

                                         
  email :                                  mailto:wrossteu@interfree.it       

                                 
 
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