Cortona is situated at the top of the hills, with spectacular views over the valley. From the terrace of piazza garibaldi, 600 meters above sea level, you can see the Chiana Valley, Lake Trasimeno and Mount Amiata. The legend says that Cortona was founded by the mythical Dardano: The ancient name was Corythus and with the years became Cortona.
Originally, Etruscan important residency, Cortona was conquered by the Romans before and after the Goths until it became a free community in the twelfth century.
The center of Cortona is characterized by its steep streets, paved with huge slabs of buildings and numerous districts or Renaissance origin: Piazza della Repubblica (The Republic Square) with the Town Hall and next to the Praetorian Palace, which now houses the new Museum of the Etruscan of Cortona (MAEC). The Museum has become one of the most important museums in central Italy as it hosts important Etruscan objects: the famous " Etruscan Chandelier " from the fifth century BC, and the muse Polymnia tabula Cortonensis, rare examples of Etruscan writing.
The Diocesan Museum, located opposite the Cathedral, home to masterpieces by great artists including The Annunciation by Fra Angelico and other works by important Tuscan artists such as Luca Signorelli, a native of Cortona.
Besides the Cathedral, is worth visiting the Church of San Francesco, Gothic and recently restored, which houses important relics such as the pattern of St. Francis, Santa Maria Nuova, San Nicholas and San Marco, with splendid mosaic depicting Saint Gino Severini with the Lion. Finally, the Sanctuary of Santa Margherita - patron saint of the city - where her dead body is kept since her death in 1362. Above the shrine, in the highest part of the city, the Medici fortress, from which you can admire a majestic landscape. Just outside the walls, one of the most mystical and spiritual points: the hermitage of the Cells, the wonderful Capuchin monastery founded by St. Francis in 1211, where the saint lived and prayed for several years.
Cortona is an excellent point for day trips, from Cortona you may reach most of the important cities in Tuscany and Umbria, it is located about half an hour drive from Siena, Arezzo, Assisi, lake trasimeno, Montepulciano and Pienza, Perugia and other interesting spots.
From Cortona you can take a train to Florence and within an hour and twenty minutes you will be in the centre of the town without breaking your head to find parking place or stand for hours in the insensitive traffic.
There are plenty of fine restaurants in Cortona, many bars and pubs, trattorias and pizza houses, beside art galleries and souvenir shops, fancy boutiques and ceramic works, typical for Tuscany.
There are many hotels and vacation farmhouses which became lately very popular, as some of them are luxurious and renovated medieval stone homes with typical Tuscan style, using the old recovered materials to give the guest the feeling of going back in time.
Author Resource:
Uri nachimson, owner of La Mucchia casa vacanze in Cortona, Tuscany, for more information www.hometuscany.com
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")