Hotel Oasi Neumann

The village is about a 15-minute walk away, though the slope is quite steep and there isn’t always a pavement. We loved the amazing views over Toscany, and the staff were really pleasant. The hotel is a little old and the rooms are simple, but that adds to the charm of the former seminary.

The views from the room and garden are excellent, and the hotel is comfortable with very friendly staff. If you’re visiting Cortona, oasi Neumann is a great place to stay. I’d especially recommend it for conferences or group excursions.

The setting is idyllic, among olive groves with a lovely garden around the hotel, and the rooms were very clean and newly furnished. Still, the place felt cold and unwelcoming inside, with a spartan, austere feel. The bathroom was a reasonable size but had nowhere to put toiletries or other things. It seemed like the sheets were changed every day. Walking to the room felt eerie, along long, bare corridors with dull lighting. The only paintings were of monks or religious subjects. I wondered if the “belle arti” had required them to preserve some of the old monastery atmosphere. Despite the setting, our room was very noisy because of the road below it. The WiFi wasn’t working, as they told us, and was fixed only on the day we left. Breakfast was okay, though the choices were better on some days than others. It might suit you if you want to get away from everything, but otherwise I’d look for somewhere more central.

Plan your stay around the Cortona Sessions for new music and you can catch some of the best young composers and performers at the festival in May.