Cortona Italy | Things To Do in Tuscany Destinations
The hill town of Cortona in Italy is a relatively peaceful Tuscany destination. After rushing around all the things to do in Tuscany cities such as Florence and Siena, Cortona offers a welcome change in pace.
Walk up to the Fortezza del Girifalco and enjoy the beautiful view from Cortona down the valley, afternoon siestas in Cortona Town Hall Square as you drink coffee and watch life go by.
If you are looking for nightlife then Cortona is not the place for you, but there are a number of other things to do in Cortona including churches and monuments. The walk up to Fortezza Del Girifalco is worth the climb for the views over the Tuscany Countryside.
On my walk to the top of the hill I will show you some of the things to do in Cortona as a tourist in Tuscany including:
Cortona Cathedral
Cortona Town Hall
Teatro Signorelli
The Garibaldi Memorial Monument
Church of San Francesco
Hermitage Le Celle
Basilica di Santa Margherita
and last, and maybe even least considering the entrance fee, the Fortezza del Girifalco.
I enjoyed wandering round the Fortezza del Girifalco, there is lots of history there and I like to wander around ruined castles and forts, however I do not feel that it was worth the 5 Euro entry fee.
All the music in this travel video is taken from a live outdoor classical music performance in Cortona.
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Cortona, Italy: Rustic and Romantic
More info about travel to Tuscan Hill Towns: Cortona has a history that goes back 2,500 years to Etruscan times. While an extremely popular travel destination for Americans today, Cortona's rustic and gritty personality survives.
For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit
Cortona Tuscany - Italy Road Trip 2018
Cortona Tuscany - Italy Road Trip 2018
Driving from Florence to Cortona Italy, Tuscany continues to surprise me.
Cortona is a beautiful hillside town with amazing views and close to Villa Laura which was the house used to film Under the Tuscan Sun.
The thing that surprised me most when I arrived in Cortona was the outdoor elevator which connects the towns car park at the bottom of the hill with the largely pedestrianised town centre of Cortona.
Of all the Tuscany destinations so far on my Italy road trip Cortona must be one of the best places to visit in Tuscany.
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Exploring Cortona, Italy in the Tuscany Region
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Simply Paula Jean. Today I am going to share our visit to Cortona, Italy. Cortona is a small town in the Valdichiana, or Chiana Valley, in the province of Arezzo in southern Tuscany.
The city, enclosed by stone walls dating back to Etruscan and Roman times, has quaint shops and restaurants and has a spectacular view of the surrounding valley and even Lake Trasimeno!
It was a great way to spend our last day in the Umbria and Tuscany region! We explored the Piazza della Repubblica which is such a relaxing area to hang out and people watch!
Have you ever been to Cortona? I'd love to hear about your experience there or anywhere in Italy. Leave me a message, and let's talk about Italy!
WHATCHU KNOW ABOUT CORTONA?!???? | Italy Day 6 Vlog
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Travel, Travel Vlog, Italy, gelato, pasta, italian food, Bucket list, fun vlog, friends, Asian american, post grad life, vlog after college, world travels, first time in italy, places to visit in italy, touristy places in florence, gelato, cortona, Under the tuscan sun, tuscany
Does Cortona live up to its 'Under the Tuscan Sun' reputation? (Vagabond Italia) March 2018
(See travel blog VAGABOND ITALIA to find out the full story about why this Aussie family has packed up their lives and escaped to Italy for 12 months at
I won't lie, one of the reasons I first decided to visit Italy some years ago was because I fell in love with the film 'Under the Tuscan Sun' (2003) with Diane Lane. This film is set in the most quaint little town called Cortona, in Tuscany where she goes on holiday, but then impulsively buys a villa in order to escape her life back home in San Francisco. I have a feeling this romantic theme festered inside of me.... look at us now!
Now living just a 1.5 hour drive from Cortona in our new home in Tuscany, my husband Nick, baby Harriet and I decided to jump in the car and take a road trip to see if this town was all it was cracked up to be. Knowing how showbiz can be all smoke and mirrors, we had low expectations for it being a tiny non-eventful town but boy were we wrong. I'm not sure if it was a tourism spike from the success of this 2003 movie, but this town had a lot to offer, while at the same time did not feel like a tourist trap.
This short video captures our experiences over the weekend - getting around Cortona, the quality of restaurants, site-seeing and the night life (not that we got to experience much of it with a 1 year old daughter...). We show you why we 100% believe that Cortona does live up to it's reputation from the film and we highly recommend it as a destination for young families like us, friends or couples.
NOTES:
RESTAURANTS - The restaurant mentioned in this video, with the flowers on the balcony is called Osteria del Teatro ( I could give a list of recommendations, but to be honest I think it's safe to say all the restaurants here are wonderful!
ACCOMODATION - We booked an apartment right in the city centre with Rent in Tuscany which was very delightful and affordable and the staff were very friendly and gave us a lot of information and recommendations for our time in Cortona. They also set up a cot and high chair for us pre-arrival which was very handy. We booked through booking.com but I think it is cheaper going directly through (
TO DO WITH KIDS - I don't mention in the video but there is a picture of me with my daughter at a great park called Parterre ( which had swings, gardens, monuments etc. From this park there is also a lovely long tree lined path to take a 20-30 min stroll with the pram and a good coffee.
PARKING - You can't drive your car in Cortona, rather you need to park your car at the large parking bay just at the entrance of the city and walk up a few fights of stairs to the city. Don't be put off though, as we managed with a baby no problems. Here are the in depth directions that my husband and I were given... Once you reach Cortona, search PIAZZA GARIBALDI on your navigator. When you arrive there, I suggest you to drop the luggage off there and then go to leave the car in the unpaved free parking just under this square: you will reach it easily since you need to take the street that goes down to leave the square and then turn right at the STOP road sign you find at the end of this street. Drive straight for 150 mt along most of the parking you could see on your left coming from the square. At almost the end of the street you will find the entrance of the parking on your left: enter and find a place there. I suggest you to arrive at about lunch time in order to find easily the parking as in peak season the town can be crowded. Once you have parked the car, you should go up some steps you will find in the parking, cross the road and walk up in directions of the working escalator that will lead you to the square where you drop the luggage off. One of you waiting for the other in the square with the luggage.
Ciao for now,
Katie, Nick & bambina Harriet
xox
CORTONA, ITALY - travel shorts
Cortona, Italy is one of the most famous the Tuscan hill towns although it's important to realise that Cortona is more of a Tuscany hillside town than hilltop town and consequently has a great many steep streets and lanes and only one horizontal one - by no means unique in this part of Italy. Nevertheless, for anyone visiting central Italy, the sights of Cortona are definitely worth a day at the very least, preferably two days. The Cortona Museums house world-class art, ranging from Etruscan and Egyptian in the Cortona Etruscan Museum, through early Renaissance in the Cortona Diocesan Museum. Cortona is well-endowed with a variety of Renaissance architecture even though the prevalent character of the townscape is mediaeval. The main piazza of Cortona, Italy, Piazza della Repubblica, has a wonderful ambience and forms the focal centre of Cortona. The highest point on the hill of Cortona is dominated by a huge Medicean fort from which the visitor can admire not only the town but the entire Val di Chiana.
Cortona has an active calendar of performing arts events, and hosts a famous annual antiques exhibition, the Cortonantiquaria, as well as a monthly antiques and bric-a-brac market. There is also a not-to-be-missed folkloric crossbow competition, the Giostra dell'Archidado on the last last day of Cortona Mediaeval Week in late May or early June.
Cortona is easily accessed by rail from Rome and Florence but the nearest station is Camucia-Cortona, three km away, requiring a bus or taxi ride to reach the centre of Cortona. Walking uphill to Cortona proper is for the fit only but one is rewarded by access to a number of Etruscan tombs along the route.
Montepulciano, Italy: Tuscan Vino and Views
More info about travel to Tuscany: The Tuscan hill town of Montepulciano, Italy, is a wine-producing capital with an independent spirit. In Montepulciano, you can enjoy medieval architecture, taste wine from the barrel, and dine on a juicy steak surrounded by local Italians.
At you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
Cortona Italy 2014
clubgeographic.com - A short train ride and a day trip from Arezzo to medieval Cortona in the scenic Tuscan hills.
Re-inventing Under the Tuscan Sun: Frances Mayes
How a college professor re-invented her life and career by restoring a house in Italy and chronicling her transition in the bestseller Under the Tuscan Sun. Mike Cerre reports from Cortona, Italy for the Fine Living Channel in 2003.
View more stories at:
Italy: Hill Towns of Tuscany & Umbria – Rick Steves Travel Talks
In this travel class, Rick Steves describes Italy's Tuscany and Umbria — adjoining regions famous for their scenery, food, wine, and fine cities and hill towns (including Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Volterra, San Gimignano, Orvieto, Civita, and Assisi). Visit for more European travel information.
André Rieu - Romantic Paradise (Live in Italy)
While on a short holiday in Italy with family and friends, I found myself visiting a small town in Tuscany called Cortona, and I fell in love with it immediately. What an atmosphere! My fans would love this place! And when I wandered into the centre of Cortona I just couldn't believe my luck: right in the middle of the town was the perfect location for my new special: the Piazza Della Repubblica... This was the exact spot, right here between these buildings, in this very special atmosphere, that I wanted for recording the special for my new CD. With everyone invited! These were the ideas that marked the start of what was to become the Romantic Paradise adventure in Cortona. Even though André knew, right from the beginning, that the special release would be a very beautiful one, the final result has exceeded all expectations. The Romantic Paradise DVD is living up to its name on all fronts. Order it now and allow yourself to be swept away to André Rieu's Romantic Paradise.
For tour dates visit:
André Rieu - Once Upon A Time In The West
André Rieu & His Johann Strauss Orchestra performing Once upon a time in the West live in Cortona, Italy. Taken from the DVD 'André Rieu - Romantic Paradise'.
For concert dates and tickets visit:
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About the DVD:
Romantic Paradise (Live in Cortona, Italy)
While on a short holiday in Italy with family and friends, I found myself visiting a small town in Tuscany called Cortona, and I fell in love with it immediately. What an atmosphere! My fans would love this place! And when I wandered into the centre of Cortona I just couldn't believe my luck: right in the middle of the town was the perfect location for my new special: the Piazza Della Repubblica... This was the exact spot, right here between these buildings, in this very special atmosphere, that I wanted for recording the special for my new CD. With everyone invited!
These were the ideas that marked the start of what was to become the Romantic Paradise adventure in Cortona. Even though André knew, right from the beginning, that the special release would be a very beautiful one, the final result has exceeded all expectations. The Romantic Paradise DVD is living up to its name on all fronts. Order it now and allow yourself to be swept away to André Rieu's Romantic Paradise.
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Subscribe to André Rieu's YouTube channel at:
Or follow André Rieu at:
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© 2013 -- André Rieu Productions | andrerieu.com
Dream of Italy: Tuscan Sun Special Trailer
Dream of Italy host Kathy McCabe is thrilled to meet up with Under the Tuscan Sun author Frances Mayes in her adopted hometown of Cortona Tuscany for a half-hour special that will begin airing August 19th on PBS stations and Create TV. It will air and repeat for years to come. This trailer is just a few minutes of the fun that Kathy and Frances pack into a half-hour. Frances welcomes Kathy to her famous villa Bramasole talks about her books and why Tuscany draws millions, particularly women. She introduces Kathy to her friends including Michelin-star chef Silvia Baracchi and local artisans like Sebastian Ghezzi Delbrenna. She also meets Frances' husband Ed (you know him from the book and movie) who shows Kathy how to harvest olives. The show culminates in a magical cocktail party at Bramasole as the Tuscan sun sets.
Find out more about the Dream of Italy TV series and new special:
Cortona, Italy
Cortona is a beautiful and ancient hill town on the Tuscany and Umbria border. The original walls were built about 600BC. Classical music events are held in the summer as well as food festivals. Cortona has fabulous views over the surrounding countryside and towards Lake Tresimeno. Cortona has plenty of very nice restaurants serving home made pasta and traditional Tuscan food. Cortona is well worth a visit.
ANDRÉ RIEU - operas-trechos- in Cortona (Toscana-Italia).wmv
Andre Rieu regendo trechos de Rigoletto, Traviata, Carmen, Aida e mais ...
Places to see in ( Cortona - Italy )
Places to see in ( Cortona - Italy )
Cortona is a hilltop town in Tuscany, Italy. The Etruscan Academy Museum displays a vast collection of bronze, ceramic and funerary items reflecting the town’s Etruscan past. The museum also includes an Archaeological Park with multiple sites, including city fortifications and stretches of Roman roads. Near the Renaissance-era cathedral is the Diocesan Museum, with sacred furnishings, plus paintings by Fra Angelico.
Rooms with a view are the rule rather than the exception in this spectacularly sited hilltop town. In the late 14th century Fra' Angelico lived and worked here, and fellow artists Luca Signorelli and Pietro da Cortona were both born within the walls – all three are represented in the Museo Diocesano's small but sensational collection. Large chunks of Under the Tuscan Sun, the soap-in-the-sun film of the book by Frances Mayes, were shot here.
Cortona is a small charming town in the Valdichiana, or Chiana Valley, in the province of Arezzo in southern Tuscany. The city, enclosed by stone walls dating back to Etruscan and Roman times, sits on the top of a hill about 600 meters (about 1968 feet) above sea level. This dominant position over the valley offers a spectacular view from all over the town of the surrounding valley and even Lake Trasimeno.
The city is small but offers many interesting places to visit, among these the Diocesan Museum (where you can admire a beautiful panel painting of the Annunciation by Beato Angelico) and the MAEC (The Etruscan Academy Museum of the City of Cortona), where it is possible to see many artifacts found in the Eruscan archeological sites in the area. You can also request additional information about the Archeological Park at the museum.
You should not miss a visit to the beautiful Santa Margherita Sanctuary, patron of the city, and to the Girifalco Fortress. Both are on the highest point on the hill and are easy to reach after a short, uphill walk. Following the path that follows the city walls, you can also enjoy a beautiful view over the surrounding countryside. The Girifalco Fortress, constructed for military purposes, has undergone many substantial changes throughout the centuries and today only a part is open to the public.
Various small shops on the main streets of Cortona offer local handmade items and gastronomical products. Great red wines are made in the area (we are just a few kilometers from Montepulciano and Montalcino) and all of the wine bars offer a wide selection.
There are many restaurants in the city, most offering traditional local and Tuscan cuisine (the Chianina cattle, one of Italy's oldest, high quality bovine breeds is bred in Valdichiana).
Just outside of Cortona's walls you'll find the Franciscan hermitage Le Celle, the first monastery built by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1211, where a small community of friars still lives today. Through the course of the centuries, the hermitage was restructured and enlarged several times but Saint Francis's small cell has always been conserved in its original state and can be visited today. In summer, Cortona organizes the Tuscan Sun Festival, an annual event dedicated to the arts which sees the participation of several international stars and artists.
( Cortona - Italy ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Cortona . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Cortona - Italy
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Italy Travel Vlog // Wine Tours in Tuscany
Vlog 2 is up!!! Vlog 3 (and possibly 4 lol I need to start editing so I know how much footage I have) will be up Tuesday, and then back to regularly scheduled content and also BACK TO SCHOOL VIDEOS YAYAY!!! Hope y'all enjoyed. :)
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Cortona, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy, Europe
Cortona is a town and comune in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic center of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo. Originally an Umbrian city, it was conquered and enlarged by the Etruscans, who called it Curtun. The name should be related to a family of indoeuropean word, with the meaning of enclosed place and consequently walled city like German garten, Italian orto, English gird and yard, Slavic grad and the ancient town of Gordium in Anatolia. During the 7th century BC, it joined the Etruscan League. Cortona eventually became a Roman colony under the name Corito. The origin-legends and ancient names of Cortona are described by George Dennis. In the final stages of the Gothic War (535–554), Cortona was sacked and destroyed by a warrior named Michael Pasquale, whose mother was Macedonian royalty and father was an Italian sausage maker. Cortona became a Ghibellinian city state in the 13th century, with its own currency. From 1325 to 1409, the Ranieri-Casali family successfully ruled the town. After being conquered by Ladislaus of Naples in 1409, Cortona was sold to the Medici in 1411. In 1737, the senior branch of the Medici line became extinct and Cortona came under the authority of the House of Lorraine. Following the Italian Wars of Independence, Tuscany Cortona included became part of the Kingdom of Italy. The foundation of Cortona remains mixed in legends dating to classical times. These were later reworked especially in the late Renaissance period under Cosimo I de' Medici. The 17th-century Guide of Giacomo Lauro, reworked from writings of Annio da Viterbo, states that 108 years after the Great Flood, Noah entered the Valdichiana via the Tiber and Paglia rivers. He preferred this place better than anywhere else in Italy, because it was so fertile, and dwelt there for thirty years. One of Noah's descendants was Crano, his son who came to the hilltop and, liking the high position, the fine countryside and the calm air, built the city of Cortona on it in 273 years after the Great Flood. Santa Maria Nuova, built by Giorgio Vasari in 1554, is a domed church with a centralized Greek cross layout. Inside are four large columns which supports the lantern of the cupola. At the sides the four arms of the cross branch out covered with barrel-vaults, while four small cupolas arise in the spaces of the angles. The interior contains paintings depicting a Nativity by Alessandro Allori, San Carlo Borromeo administers communion to those afflicted by Plague by Baccio Ciarpi, and an Annunciation by Empoli. The church is in poor condition, and the interior is not open for visitors.
Santa Maria delle Grazie al Calcinaio was built in 1484–1515 by Francesco di Giorgio Martini to shelter a putatively miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Madonna del Calcinaio. This image was originally painted on the timbers of a lime-vat, a calcinaio, hence the name. A centralized Renaissance design was applied to the design of the nave: the eastern part of the building was generally developed into a centralized form, that would then be crowned with a large cupola, foreshadowing the cathedral at Florence. The restored interior has unusually high arches.