Sarah Townsend and the Terranova Team would like to welcome you to country hotel Palazzo Terranova. We hope you enjoy your stay with us and if there is anything we can do for you please don't hesitate to ask.

Sarah has always had a passion for Italian life which began during her days spent at Chelsea art school in London. In 1966 she married Johnny Townsend and together their love of Italy brought them to Tuscany and Cortona where they restored their first farmhouse. In 1989 Sarah went on to run her first small Hotel, il Bacchino, where her daughter Honor joined her as the chef.

Then one rainy day in 1989 Sarah and Johnny discovered the dilapidated country house that was to become Palazzo Terranova. They could hear the words of Leon Battista Alberti, the 14th century Florentine architectural theorist. Here was a palazzo in remarkable harmony with its surrondings. Ten years of restoration followed as Sarah rushed up and down the road to Cortona to run Bacchino and create her Dream for all seasons in Umbria. However, commuting became too much. Il Bacchino was sold and Sarah followed her heart to Umbria.

Many traumas, dramas and triumphs later Palazzo Terranova has a well deserved reputation as one of the best hotels in Italy and Sarah continues to pay meticulous attention to every aspect of its running.

The love and care that went into the restoration of Palazzo Terranova is evident everywhere you look, but especially in each of the ten imaginatively decorated bedrooms and suites: – La Traviata, Bellini, La Biblioteca, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, Verdi, Violetta, La Boheme, Tosca, Turandot.

Honor came to be the head chef at the end of 2000 and continues to create new and inspired signature dishes that she has become famous for.

The kitchen produces lively food that changes with the seasons. The wines and oils are local, some made by the Townsends themselves. This is truffle country and when in season, funghi porcini [mushrooms: boletus edulis] are mainstays in the kitchen. Game is also a local speciality. Wild boar, pheasant, venison and partridge regularly come to the table.

The cooking is in the local tradition, distilled to produce what is simply best. There is no pretension here.

We have a dining inside which seats 24 and an outside terrace with stunning views across the valley. Open to non-residents.

Apart from the tranquility of walking, cycling and hiking in the mountains, there are 2 golf courses and tennis courts nearby, a beautiful swimming pool, a boules court, horseback riding, fishing, hot air ballooning and great shopping in the local historic towns.

You spend enough time organising your daily life! Relax, let us know what you’d like to do, and let us make the arrangements.

Sarah and her team are looking forward to many more years of welcoming guests to her Umbrian Paradiso, many of whom have already returned many times since its opening in 1999.