Appianline - Roma

Located on a spur of the Monte Sant' Egidio it offers to the visitor who gives a look around from the top walls one of the widest and harmonious views admirable in Italy: the rich and immense Val di Chiana, limited on the horizon by the Siena mountains, fore most the Amiata and the Cetona; and closer up the wide expanse of the Trasimeno lake.

It was probably a fortified Umbrian city, passed to the Etruscans between the 8th and 7th centuries BC, during the social war it was granted Roman citizenship. Cortona flourished during the Comuni period and under the domain of the Ranieri-Casali. Sold to the Florentines by the king of Naples in 1411, it followed the destinies of the Grand-duchy of Tuscany.

Cortona flavours :

The traditionally good cuisine of the restaurants of Cortona is as ancient as its origins.

The 'bistecca alla fiorentina (fiorentine steak) is one of the best dishes in Tuscan cuisine. The 'Sagra della Bistecca' (steak festival) takes place on the 14th and 15th of august every year in the gardens of the Parterre.

Trought the year Cortona offers a series of events to enhance the visitors stay town.

Cortona to see

Several Etruscan tombs were found in the valley: the Tanella di Pitagora, the Melone in Camucia and the Meloni at Sodo. Very rich archaeological findings are exhibited in the Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca in Palazzo Casali, foremost the renowned Etruscan lamp of the 5th century BC.

The Medici Fortress and below it, the reconstructed Sanctuary of Santa Margherita. Among the many beautifull churches: the Romanesque Gothie of Sant' Agostino and San Francesco, to the Renaissance jewels of Santa Maria delle Grazie al Calcinaio and Santa Maria Nuova, to the quiet church of San Niccolò.

The excellent pictorial patrimony of this art city is preserved in the Museo Diocesano as the famous «Annunciazione» by Beato Angelico. Many other paintings are in the Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca in Palazzo Casali and in the several churches. Well know to scholars all over the world is also the Biblioteca Comunale e dell'Accademia Etrusca, rich in parchments, manuscripts, incunabula and printed volumes.