Relais Borgo San Pietro ★★★★

Was I still dreaming or was this real? My husband led me by the hand to our room with our suitcases rolling lightly behind us, I felt like I was walking on a cloud. Our room was artistic and relentlessly Italian; the terracotta tiled floor, the decorated headboard and floral quilts and curtains. I felt cosily at home yet still as if I was somewhere excitingly new. The antiquity of the furnishings brought a charm to the room, the marble sink, deep wooden cabinets and wardrobes all contributed to a comfortable and countryside atmosphere. We had travelled to a land and time where everything was calmer, peaceful, picturesque and well-cared for.

Once we had settled we decided to venture around this period estate and gaze at the panoramic view. Fortunately, the inn we were staying in had a brilliant placement atop a hill and we could see a historic town in the distance, which we soon found was only a few minutes in our little hired-car. The town tilted to the west and piqued a certain curiosity within me. We hadn’t walked around long before our bodies were demanding a welcome break from the heat of the day in the estate’s crystal blue swimming pool. I took a dip in the pool and the silky water surrounded me, cooling me as I appreciated the natural surroundings.

“Hey, it’s time for dinner,” spoke a soft voice, it was my husband’s, he was smiling and holding out a hand and in an instant my rumbling stomach and I found myself upon a chair under a glass roof that let the light from the stars and the moon wander in. “We’ve got some wine,” the soft, low voice said and a delectable three-course meal followed and the gaps between our dishes arriving filled by luscious red wine. We began talking and I was dreaming a dream within a dream, next we were on bikes cycling around the estate – we saw a magnificent monastery, a hermitage and even a mountain…

I was beginning to shake. I couldn’t tell if it was from me riding along rocky ground on my mountain bike, but it seemed to be more forceful than that. “It’s time for dinner!” a loud voice spoke, but I’d just had dinner. Did they mean breakfast? A plentiful choice of hearty items to fill my stomach once again under that delightful glass roof where I couldn’t tell whether I was outside or in?

I opened my eyes and felt a disappointment in my stomach. I was still at home on the sofa in my living room and my husband was calling me for dinner, gently laughing at me murmuring in my sleep. During dinner I told him about my dream and we decided to look up a Tuscan holiday, why not? We searched endlessly but couldn’t find anything that suited our needs or matched up to my dream. Until, a small sound came from the computer indicating I’d received an email, not just any email but an email from VeryChic, from my alerts. This means that they had found my dream holiday! In the email was the Relais Borgo San Pietro, with its Etruscan walls and Renaissance décor. What’s this about cooking classes? And hiring bikes? And look, it’s right next to the charming town of Cortona…

When we had finished investigating the property I was left with only one question… how did VeryChic know?