Tips on Cortona: The picturesque town of Cortona, subject of Frances Mayes' book, Under the Tuscan Sun, as well as Director Audrey Wells' movie Under the Tuscan Sun, boasts of being one of the most beautiful, and one of the regions most friendly communities. Cortona is one hour's drive from Florence, one and half hours from Rome, thirty minutes from Perugia and Assisi and fortyfive minutes away from Orvieto. Cortona's Teatro Signorelli, its Etruscan Museum, the many beautiful churches, St. Frances' cells and the historic Lake Trasimeno nearby, are places not to be missed. Views of Lake Trasimeno and of the surounding valley can be enjoyed from Piazza Garibaldi and from the beautiful Parterre Gardens. These are just some of the special features that make vacationing in Cortona a truly unique experience. For a quick historical background of the city consult Edoardo & Paolo Mori's book also available on line in English and, for a quick view of images of the city check Cortona.net web site.
Activities and Attractions: In the Summer Cortona hosts the famous Umbria Jazz festival, and countless other musical, artistic and folkloric activities. For example, in the summers of 2003 and 2004 Cortona hosted Austrian violinist Andre' Rieu in Concert. In addition, one can also enjoy the outdoor movies in the Parterre Park or the open-air opera by Teatro Signorelli. In August one can participate in the famous "Sagra della Bistecca", sort of a pagan outdoor festival in honor of beef steak where immense bonfires cook countless Bistecche alla Fiornetina (florentine style beef-steak) all night long. This festival attracts visitors from the entire region. But food is not Cortona's only attraction. In September Cortona boasts of the famous "Mostra dell'Antiquariato" or, Antique Fair. This little Etruscan city was the birth place of many famous artists, such as Luca Signorelli and Gino Severini. Today Cortona boasts of two wonderful museums: Museo Diocesano and Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca. One can either visit these museums or visit several of the Art Galleries that exhibit paintings of both local and foreign artists. For those who prefer more country-style activities, there is the El Comanchero Ranch, where one can either take horse-back riding lessons or can join their horse-back riding daily excursions through the mountains surrounding Cortona. At El Comanchero one can also enjoy a delicious cortonese meal in their American Western-style restaurant, overlooking the Val di Chiana valley. For further information contact Franco at el.comanchero@libero.it or call (from USA 011+39+) 0575 601 214.
It is because of Cortona's friendly and artistic environment that Georgia University (GA) has been returning to this city for the past 30 years with their Study Abroad Art Program and that Frances Mayes has chosen it as her second home.
While in Cortona, you may also choose to take classes (or private lessons) in Italian, Art History, Cooking and Wine tasting at POLYMNIA: Center of Italian Language and Culture.
Practical Tips: Food shopping: Every morning you can fill your refrigerator with only a few Euros. Right outside of Pane e Vino Restaurant, across from Teatro Signorelli, there is a vegetable and fruit stand, from about 8 am to 12:00 noon. Everything is fresh and very inexpensive and, above all, they sell vegetables and fruit that have not been treated with deadly chemicals. There are two more fruit and vegetable stores -- one on Via Nazionale and one on Via Guelfa--, which stay open till 8:00 pm. However, their prices tend to be more expansive. For other items like soap, soda, water, pasta etc., you can buy them at Molesini Deli, in Piazza del Comune. If you have a car, you can take a 10-minutes drive to Camucia where you can find two huge inexpensive supermarkets: PENNY and COOP. PENNY is on the way to Terontola, on your right hand-side, COOP is on the way to Arezzo, on your left side. PENNY's prices are less expensive than those at COOP's. However, COOP has a bigger selection of products. Another option would be shopping at street market where everything is very inexpensive. Cortona's street market takes place on saturdays, right in Piazza Signorelli. Camucia's is on thursdays (this one is much bigger than the one in Cortona). In terms of restaurants, you can eat very well at any of the restaurants in Cortona. If you are afraid speaking Italian with the waiter/waitress can be a challange for you, at Trattoria Flunflun waiters & waitresses generally also speak English & French.
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