Cortona

Cortonas charme depends on a multitude of reasons, which make this town a marvellous place to be. The first aspect which is remarkable about Cortona is the position, at the top of the hill. Also the urbanistic aspect is a very important one, for Cortona, being built as a model Middle Age town, with big walls that keep out community together. Via Nazionale is the heart of the town centre, being the only flat street of the entire town! The best way to visit Cortona is to get lost…to get nicely surprised!
Anyway, if we have to suggest some building that you should not miss visiting Cortona, here is our list: the Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca in Piazza Signorelli. This museum is located in Palazzo Casali and has a wonderful collection of Etruscan, roman, Egyptian and medieval artworks. The other museum, called Museo Diocesano is pretty close to the last one. In here you can admire wonderful paintings by Luca Signorelli, Frà Beato Angelico and Gino Severini. You should not miss to have a look at Via del Gesù, a perfectly conserved medieval street.
Definitely to be seen are also the churches of San Franceso, San Domenico, Santa Maria Nuova, Santa Maria del Calcinaio (a beautiful example of Renaissance architecture). Also the churches of San Niccolò and San Cristofero are very nice, also for their location in a beautiful zone of Cortona called “Il Poggio” (the upper area of the town).
You should also pay a visit to “Le Celle”, the Etruscan graves of “Il Sodo”, the Romanic church of Sant’Angelo (close to the Volpaie) and the amazing Abbazia di Farneta (a few km away from our Agrituismo).
For a visit to Cortona remember that the Agriturismos guide will be pleased to come with you!

La Storia

Cortona, “the most ancient and extraordinary of the Italian cities” (Henry James), has its origins in the enigmatic and mythological legends of the first inhabitants of the Mediterranean area.
The most popular anecdote identifies Cortona as mother of Troia and Rome’s Grandmother. This because Dardano, prince of Cortona, abandoned the town to his brother to go and find Troia.
One of Dardano and his brother Iasios descendents was Enea.
Certainly we can speak about Cortona as a relevant Etruscan centre in the IV century BC. Cortona (called Curtien) became at that time a polis, a city-state, on of the twelve which were the most important and got together in a league.
The Etruscan people were really fascinated by death and this fact can be admired in the wonderful graves in the surroundings of Cortona. The Etruscan built up the powerful walls around the town, through which the Romans passed. Indeed the Romans invaded the Etruscan territory and occupied their towns, as well Cortona. Close to the town there was a memorable war between Romans and Carthaginians, won by the last ones, ordered by Hannibal. From the XII century Cortona became a very important centre and the city’s structure comes from that time. Even the emperor Frederick II came to visit Cortona. Saint Francis found Cortona a perfect place for meditation and in 1211 he founded “Le Celle”.

From 1325 Cortona was under the Casali family. In 1409 the designed prince killed his uncle and threw his body out of the palace window. After that, Cortonas people, wanted Ladislao, King of Naples, as their governor. After just two years the town was sold to Florence which dominated the town for a century. During that time, the painters Beato Angelico and Luca Signorelli had their prime time. In 1529 Cortonas people were called to defend their town from the troops of the Prince of Orange. Cortona was under the Florence family of Medici from 1531 and with Cosimo I it became a remarkable location and the defensive structure of the town was strengthened. In the XVII century the famous painter Pietro Berrettini made Cortona famous. Unfortunately the town became decadent in the next hundred years. The Lorena dynasty approved changes in the legal and agricultural systems. Napoleon dominated Cortona in the first years of the XIX century to be replaced again by the Lorena family. In 1860 Florence and Cortona became part of the Reign of Italy. In the XX century the futurist Painter Gino Severini made Cortona famous.