Cortona

The town of Cortona offers extensive spectacular views of the whole of the Chiana Valley (the most extensive valley in the Apennine chain) and of Lake Trasimeno enchantingly, embraced by the Apennines, a landscape of timeless beauty which will leave you undoubtedly with cherished memories.

As you stroll along the narrow streets, into the pages of history, you will savour the ancient culture of Italian life with every step. There are many typical little restaurants offering genuine local cuisine and charming little shops and bars and just to stand and gaze in one of the "Piazzas" is surely an unforgetable experience.

The ancient  town of Cortona, one of the twelve cities of the Etruscan league, is situated at 600 mts above sea level.
Substantial fragments of its primitive cyclopean defences can still be seen incorporated in the medieval walls. The medieval atmosphere is felt in its long narrow streets.

The Etruscan Museum displays the Etruscan chandelier known as the lamp of Cortona, one of the most celebrated bronzes of antiquity.

The work of artists such as  Luca Signorelli and Fra Angelico can be seen in the diocesan museum.
In these and in the Renaissance churches of S. Maria Nuova and S. Niccolò valuable works of art are preserved. The churches are in themselves museums.

Many are the Etruscan monuments to be found in the Cortona  neighbourhood. The most important medieval buildings are the churches of S. Francesco and S. Domenico and Palazzo Casale which has a Renaissance facade. Severini's "Via Crucis" (20th century) accompanies the mistic ascent linking the inhabited centre with the sanctuary of S. Margherita which, in its turn, is overshadowed by the powerful defences of the Girifalco fortress.