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.
Places to see in ( Cortona - Italy ) Piazza della Repubblica
Places to see in ( Cortona - Italy ) Piazza della Repubblica
The 13 C town hall and clock tower are on one of Cortona's main squares, Piazza della Repubblica and there are cafes nearby for enjoying the piazza life. Cortona is a walking hill town - need to walk up steep road to get to center of town but once you are in town lots to see. The Piazza is one of those squares to meet people, do a little shopping.
Beautiful Tuscan village atop a hill. Amazing views of valley out to lake. Fabulous church and Duomo also a Fort. Buzzing little streets with local wares and artisan products. Great little outlet shop with Max Mara and a 1/4 of the price.
There are so many wonderful restaurants, bars, shops and hotels located in and around the Piazza, you will want to spend some time here.dont miss the churches, the museums just off the piazza. Well worth the walk.
Piazza della Repubblica is a pretty little square with trinket shops and cafe bars. Its a nice area to spend a while in the sunshine, but nothing overly special. Sit back and enjoy the spectacular scenery this beautiful place has to offer.
( 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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CORTONA TOSCANA ITALY Piazza della Repubblica ESTATE 2017
Artiste di strada
Piazza della Repubblica | Cortonaweb.net podcast
Piazza della Repubblica is the heart of the historical center of Cortona. In Roman times the forum was located here, at the crossroads between the main axial streets of the town, the cardo (running north-south) and the decumano (running East-West).
The beautiful Town Hall, dating back to the twelfth century and conceived for council meetings since the Middle Ages, overlooks the square. The impressive bell tower and the imposing entrance stairway were built in the sixteenth century. On the right-hand side of the palace a column represents the Florentine lion, which is the symbol of Cortona.
In front of the Town Hall you can see the Palace of the Capitano del Popolo, built in the thirteenth century, residence of famous cardinal Silvio Passerini. In the past it was crenellated and had a tower on top, but it underwent such big transformations over the centuries that it has lost its original form.
If you take via Guelfa you can then admire the magnificent Palazzo Cristofanello-Laparelli, built in the sixteenth century, with a facade made of worked stone that is characterized by large arched windows and a loggia on the upper floor. Today the palace is the seat of a bank, the Banca Popolare di Cortona.
Places to see in ( Cortona - Italy )
Places to see in ( Cortona - Italy )
Cortona is a town and comune in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. Cortona is the main cultural and artistic center of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo. Cortona may be accessed by rail: the closest station is Camucia-Cortona, 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) away. There are direct trains from Florence, Rome, and Foligno (via Perugia).
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.
The prevailing character of Cortona’s architecture is medieval with steep narrow streets situated on a hillside at an elevation of 600 metres (2,000 ft) that embraces a view of the whole of the Valdichiana. From the Piazza Garibaldi (still referred to by the local population by its older name, Piazza Carbonaia) is a fine prospect of Lake Trasimeno, scene of Hannibal's ambush of the Roman army in 217 BC (Battle of Lake Trasimene). Parts of the Etruscan city wall can still be seen today as the basis of the present wall. The main street, via Nazionale, is the only street in the town with no gradient, and is still usually referred to by locals by its older name of Ruga Piana.
Inside the Palazzo Casali is the Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca, displaying items from Etruscan, Roman, and Egyptian civilizations, as well as art and artefacts from the Medieval and Renaissance eras. The distinguished Etruscan Academy Museum had its foundation in 1727 with the collections and library of Onofrio Baldelli. Among its most famous ancient artefacts is the bronze lampadario or Etruscan hanging lamp, found at Fratta near Cortona in 1840 and then acquired by the Academy for the large sum of 1600 Florentine scudi. Its iconography includes (under the 16 burners) alternating figures of Silenus playing panpipes or double flutes, and of sirens or harpies. Within zones representing waves, dolphins and fiercer sea-creatures is a gorgon-like face with protruding tongue. Between each burner is a modelled horned head of Achelous. It is supposed that the lampadario derived from some important north Etruscan religious shrine of around the second half of the 4th century BC. A later (2nd century BC) inscription shows it was rededicated for votive purposes (tinscvil) by the Musni family at that time.
Alot to see in ( Cortona - Italy ) such as :
Diocesan Museum
Cortona Cathedral
Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca e città di Cortona
Church of San Francesco, Cortona
Santa Margherita, Cortona
Piazza della Repubblica
Fortezza Medicea di Girifalco
Molesini
Porta Bifora
Porta Sant'Agostino
Porta Colonia
Porta Berarda
Porta Montanina
Porta Santa Margherita
Audit Artea
Galleria Etrusca
Cathedral (Duomo) of Cortona (Santa Maria)
Basilica of Santa Margherita
Guzzetti Chapel
Spirito Santo
San Benedetto
San Cristoforo
San Domenico
San Filippo Neri
San Francesco
San Marco
San Niccolò
Santa Chiara
(Former) church of the Gesù
Abbey of Farneta
Franciscan Convent de Le Celle
San Donnino (or, Madonna della Croce)
Pieve di San Michele Arcangelo at Metelliano
Sanctuary of the Madonna del Bagno
San Biagio at Pierle
San Marco Evangelista
( Cortona - Italy ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Cortona . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Cortona - Italy
Join us for more :
Piazza della Repubblica | Cortonaweb.net podcast
Piazza della Repubblica è il cuore del centro storico di Cortona, dove si trovava il foro in epoca romana, all'incrocio tra il cardo e il decumano, rispettivamente gli assi nord-sud ed est-ovest della città.
La piazza è dominata dal Palazzo Comunale, risalente al XII secolo, destinato fin dal Medioevo alle riunioni consiliari. La splendida torre campanaria e l'imponente scala di accesso furono costruite nel Cinquecento. Sul lato destro una colonna raffigura il leone fiorentino, simbolo di Cortona.
Di fronte al Palazzo comunale si erge maestoso il Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, risalente al XIII secolo, dimora del celebre cardinale Passerini. In origine merlato e provvisto di una torre, è stato ristrutturato nel corso dei secoli perdendo la fisionomia originaria.
Imboccando via Guelfa si può infine ammirare il sontuoso Palazzo Cristofanello-Laparelli, costruito nel XVI secolo, la cui facciata in pietra è caratterizzata da ampie arcate e da una loggia nella parte superiore. Il palazzo è oggi sede della Banca Popolare di Cortona.
Piazza della Republica - Cortona
evening in the main square in Cortona
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!
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:
Places to see in ( Cortona - Italy )
Places to see in ( Cortona - Italy )
Cortona is a town and comune in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. Cortona is the main cultural and artistic center of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo. Cortona may be accessed by rail: the closest station is Camucia-Cortona, 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) away. There are direct trains from Florence, Rome, and Foligno (via Perugia).
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.
The prevailing character of Cortona’s architecture is medieval with steep narrow streets situated on a hillside at an elevation of 600 metres (2,000 ft) that embraces a view of the whole of the Valdichiana. From the Piazza Garibaldi (still referred to by the local population by its older name, Piazza Carbonaia) is a fine prospect of Lake Trasimeno, scene of Hannibal's ambush of the Roman army in 217 BC (Battle of Lake Trasimene). Parts of the Etruscan city wall can still be seen today as the basis of the present wall. The main street, via Nazionale, is the only street in the town with no gradient, and is still usually referred to by locals by its older name of Ruga Piana.
Inside the Palazzo Casali is the Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca, displaying items from Etruscan, Roman, and Egyptian civilizations, as well as art and artefacts from the Medieval and Renaissance eras. The distinguished Etruscan Academy Museum had its foundation in 1727 with the collections and library of Onofrio Baldelli. Among its most famous ancient artefacts is the bronze lampadario or Etruscan hanging lamp, found at Fratta near Cortona in 1840 and then acquired by the Academy for the large sum of 1600 Florentine scudi. Its iconography includes (under the 16 burners) alternating figures of Silenus playing panpipes or double flutes, and of sirens or harpies. Within zones representing waves, dolphins and fiercer sea-creatures is a gorgon-like face with protruding tongue. Between each burner is a modelled horned head of Achelous. It is supposed that the lampadario derived from some important north Etruscan religious shrine of around the second half of the 4th century BC. A later (2nd century BC) inscription shows it was rededicated for votive purposes (tinscvil) by the Musni family at that time.
Alot to see in ( Cortona - Italy ) such as :
Diocesan Museum
Cortona Cathedral
Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca e città di Cortona
Church of San Francesco, Cortona
Santa Margherita, Cortona
Piazza della Repubblica
Fortezza Medicea di Girifalco
Molesini
Porta Bifora
Porta Sant'Agostino
Porta Colonia
Porta Berarda
Porta Montanina
Porta Santa Margherita
Audit Artea
Galleria Etrusca
Cathedral (Duomo) of Cortona (Santa Maria)
Basilica of Santa Margherita
Guzzetti Chapel
Spirito Santo
San Benedetto
San Cristoforo
San Domenico
San Filippo Neri
San Francesco
San Marco
San Niccolò
Santa Chiara
(Former) church of the Gesù
Abbey of Farneta
Franciscan Convent de Le Celle
San Donnino (or, Madonna della Croce)
Pieve di San Michele Arcangelo at Metelliano
Sanctuary of the Madonna del Bagno
San Biagio at Pierle
San Marco Evangelista
( Cortona - Italy ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Cortona . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Cortona - Italy
Join us for more :
Hotel Italia Cortona *** Hotel Review 2017 HD, Cortona, Italy
Save money booking hotel Hotel Italia Cortona in Cortona, Italy
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Property Location
Located in Cortona, Hotel Italia is in the historical district and minutes from The Etruscan Academy Museum of the City of Cortona and Casali Palace. This hotel is within close proximity of Piazza della Repubblica and Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca.
Rooms
Make yourself at home in one of the 25 air-conditioned rooms featuring LCD televisions. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and digital programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathroo...
Street performer in Piazza della Repubblica
EP. #100 Cortona, Italy - Day Trip [2/3]
for Full Episode - Part 2 - Making the most of a day trip to Cortona, the beautiful and popular Tuscan hilltop town.
Cortona, corteo per i 150 anni dell'unità d'Italia
Cortona festeggia i 150 anni dell'Unità d'Italia.
Corteo da piazza della Repubblica a piazza Garibaldi
TOSCANA - CORTONA suggestivo borgo medievale - Full HD
© CLAUDIO MORTINI *
Incastonata nella vegetazione lussureggiante del sud della Toscana, in provincia di Arezzo e non lontano dal confine con l'Umbria, Cortona è una cittadella di circa 23 mila abitanti abbarbicata su un colle roccioso, e costituisce il centro turistico e culturale più importante della Valdichiana.
Nata etrusca intorno al V secolo avanti Cristo, come indicano i resti delle mura e delle tombe; ricca di edifici medievali. Forse alleata con Roma, conquistata dai Goti, fu poi saccheggiata dagli Aretini e soggetta, dal 1325 al 1409, alla famiglia dei Casali. In seguito passò sotto il Granducato di Toscana, con alterne vicende e varie innovazioni sia culturali che urbanistiche.
Viottoli ciottolati, case color sabbia con le imposte di legno dipinto, fili carichi di bucato fresco e fiori alle finestre sono i piccoli grandi dettagli che la rendono unica, intrisa di magia e traboccante genuinità. Gli scorci panoramici si aprono di fronte ai visitatori inaspettatamente, rivelando le vedute più affascinanti, e il silenzio unico della campagna si colora di chiacchiere paesane.
Tra gli edifici più significativi ci sono il Palazzo Comunale del XIII secolo che si affaccia su Piazza della Repubblica, il Palazzo Casali del XIII secolo posto su Piazza Signorelli, e il Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo del XII secolo, poi rimaneggiato nel Cinquecento. Poco lontano si innalza la Cattedrale di Santa Maria, splendido Duomo di Cortona realizzato sulle vestigia di un tempio pagano e documentato come Pieve sin dall'XI secolo.
Un'altra bella chiesa è quella di San Francesco, realizzata a partire dal 1245 per volere di frate Elia Coppi e tuttora arricchita all'interno da una serie invidiabile di opere d'arte.
Nella placida, antica Cortona, le atmosfere quiete e squisitamente lente non devono trarre in inganno: la voglia di fare festa è tutt' altro che assopita, e non mancano durante l'anno le occasioni per conoscere le tradizioni vivaci del luogo. Tra gli eventi più noti ci sono le Feste di Santa Margherita dal 25 al 27 aprile, la rievocazione storica del Matrimonio dei casali-Salimbeni del 31 maggio, la Giostra dell'Archidado del 1 giugno, il Tuscan Sun Festival all'inizio di agosto e la Sagra della Bistecca intorno a Ferragosto.
Casa Tarconte, Cortona, Italy - Trusted
Book cheap hotels! Casa Tarconte
Set in Cortona city centre, Casa Tarconte is a 5-minute walk from Piazza della Repubblica Square. Free WiFi is featured throughout the property.
Latitude 43.2762632854775, Longitude ' 11.9866287331699, Continent Europe, County Italy, City Cortona, Address Via Tarconte 10
Cortona's Lantern Christmas Show
Cortona Holiday Lanterns ~ I've seen many great sights in Italy... this one last night (29/12/12) was a tear-jerk moment...
CORTONA ~ To be held on Santo Stefano (Saint Stephen's Day Dec. 26), but delayed by poor weather until Dec. 29th, a beautiful evening was held in Cortona's Piazza della Repubblica for the Lantern Christmas Show.
The piazza was filled with young and young-at-heart alike to enjoy a mass ascension of various colored lanterns each heated by a small candle, lit by people in the crowd. Have a look and see what I saw... I wish I could have taken some video from outside the village of the tiny fireflies on their trip up, up and away!
You can learn more about magnificent Italy at my site ForTheLoveOfItaly.com
Where is the best place to park in Cortona (Arezzo)Italy?? Please take a look at my video...
As many of you will know, Cortona looks deceptively flat on a map but in reality is spread over a steep hillside and has only a single horizontal street. The latter is via Nazionale which runs from Piazza Garibaldi to Piazza della Repubblica and Piazza Signorelli. Together they form the centre of the town. You won't be able to park on Via Nazionale, since it's closed to traffic from 8 am until 9 pm every day.In fact, the simplest solution to the question of where is the best place to park in Cortona is to use one of the parking areas provided outside the walls. These parking lots are spaced at equal intervals around the town and they are free. One of the best is just below Via Garibaldi because there is an escalator that carries you all the way up to the piazza and hence onto Via Nazionale. This definitely beats walking up the steep streets of Cortona! Note that there's a shop at the bottom of the escalator that offers a very good range of guide books not only about Cortona but many other areas of Tuscany and Umbria.Inside the walls, there are often parking spots free on via San Marco or on via Moneti, the street immediately before via San Marco. However, if you park on the street, do remember that if you park where a P sign is in place, blue lines mean you pay by buying a ticket from one of the machines nearby, yellow lines mean parking is for local people with a special permit only, and a white line means free parking
DO NOT park on the yellow cross or under the no parking sign (Passo Carrabile)!
Last but not least, be aware that Cortona, like many other Tuscan towns and cities, has limited traffic zones (ZTL) watched over by automated cameras. If you drive into one of these zones without a permit, sooner or later you'll receive a fine in the mail whether you were driving your own car or a rental car.
Sagra della Bistecca 2011 - Cortona (AR)