Visiting
Cortona - Information and travel guide
Cortona
is a beautiful medieval village that has preserved the
appearance and structure of the town a thousand years ago,
along with some fine examples of Renaissance architecture.
It rises in a wonderful panoramic position and is a small
town of Etruscan origin (civilty of which there are still
traces in the walls that surround it) climbing on the side
of a hill. The sixteenth-century Fortezza Medicea del
Girifalco, at the top of the village, dominates the
surrounding landscape and once you arrive here, your gaze is
lost on the green Val di Chiana and Lake Trasimeno. |
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The
old town centre is a fascinating maze of old stone paved
streets and imposing medieval buildings. Its many monuments
and precious works of art make it a small large city,
visited by many scholars from all over the world. Many are
the local legends, such as those of Trojans and
Ulysses, who arrived here finding another Ithaca, that
of their descendants who merged with the Etruscan
inhabitants, who then founded
Rome;
that of Pythagoras who would be buried here. History,
stories and legends. It could not be different with this
setting, where today it is above all the Middle Ages that is
represented. The little space between the cyclopean walls,
has made the city develop in recent times in the underlying
village of Camucia, where begins the road that goes
up to the village.
Even
without its artistic treasures, this would in any case be a
place to stop, because of the breathtaking view from
Cortona that you can enjoy, by day on the green valley and the
lake and, at night, on the villages of southern Tuscany that
shine like illuminated ships on a dark sea. During the serene
days, the view reaches Lake Trasimeno and Monte Amiata,
up to the Siena and Arezzo mountains, to see Sinalunga,
Montepulciano and also the Rocca di Radicofani. To
make a day trip or a longer stay more enjoyable, there are also
pleasant hotels, shops and interesting craft shops and excellent
restaurants.
Cortona is the city of Frate Elia, Santa
Margherita, Luca Signorelli, Pietro da Cortona
and Gino Severini and over the years has become the
habitual residence of colonies of foreigners, Germans,
British and Americans, who have found here peace or exile
among olive groves and vineyards. Every year, especially in
summer, many travelers come here to attend Italian art and
culture courses or cooking classes and many students, from
numerous universities and foreign cultural institutions, who
contribute to create a beautiful cosmopolitan and very
lively climate.
A
bit of
history and legends....
it is said that Cortona was founded by Dardano (to this
hero is dedicated a name of a street) who later founded the city
of Troy and gave its name to the Strait of the
Dardanelles. Legends about Ulysses and Pythagoras
have already been mentioned. Whatever the precise origins of the
city, of which there are not many traces, it is certain that
there was already a discreet Umbrian settlement here when the
Etruscans took control of the area in the eighth century BC.
About 400 years later, the town passed under Roman rule, and
remained there until the Goths destroyed it. In the eleventh
century Cortona became a prosperous free commune, always
fighting with
Perugia and
Arezzo.
The Aretini destroyed it in 1258. Not so long after the town
flourished under the protection of
Siena.
It changed hands again at the beginning of the fifteenth
century, when it first passed to the kingdom of
Naples,
and was then sold to
Florence,
followed by its fate from this moment onwards.
We
start visiting the historic center and its
attractions... as we said
the appearance and structure of the city are the same as they were a
thousand years ago and it is very pleasant to walk through the narrow
streets and stop in the squares. The heart of the center is the picturesque
Piazza della Repubblica, flanked by the thirteenth-century Palazzo
Comunale, which houses the beautiful Council Room. Here there is also
the Palazzo Pretorio, built in 1200 as residence of the Casali
family, whose façade was built in 1613 by Filippo Berretini
(cousin of Pietro da Cortona). The Praetorian Palace houses the Municipal
Library and the Etruscan Academy Museum. In the first one are
preserved unique pieces, such as a Divine Comedy of the fourteenth century,
two globes (elestics and terrestrial) of' 500,118 incunabula and other
ancient texts. In the Museum of the Etruscan Academy are housed
exhibits of exceptional historical value, such as: the famous Bronze
Bronze Chandelier of the IV BC.C weighing 58 kg; the "Musa Polomnia",
original painting of the 1st century of Greek-Roman matrix; a large crucifix
of the 13th century Pisan school; a funerary "Barchetta" of the 12th
Egyptian dynasty; paintings, mummies with sarcophagi of the 4th century BC,
monetiers, medals, etc.
A pochi passi dal Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca si
trova il Duomo, eretto sui resti dell'antica Pieve Romanica di
Santa Maria, su disegno di Giuliano da San Gallo o da uno dei
suoi seguaci. Sull'altare maggiore nell'interno, a tre navate,
troviamo un tabernacolo di
Francesco Mazzuoli del 1664. L'abside è ornata da dipinti del
Cigoli e della scuola del Signorelli. Di fronte al Duomo si trova l'ex
Chiesa del Gesù, dove ha sede il Museo Diocesano, con una
pregiata raccolta di dipinti d'arte toscana. Di grande interesse sono l'Annunciazione
del Beato Angelico, un crocifisso di
Pietro Lorenzetti e altre opere di numerosi pittori fra i quali
Sassetta, Signorelli, ecc.
Nella Chiesa di San Francesco, in stile gotico del XIII secolo, si possono
ammirare il dipinto del Cigoli
raffigurante
San Antonio da Padova e il Miracolo della Mula,
La Natività di
Raffaele Vanni, l'Annunciazione di Pietro da Cortona e
una Madonna del Calcinaio.
A
few steps away from the Etruscan Academy Museum is the Dome, built on
the remains of the ancient Romanesque Parish Church of Santa Maria,
designed by Giuliano da San Gallo or one of his followers. On the
main altar inside, with three naves, there is a tabernacle of Francesco
Mazzuoli from 1664. The apse is decorated with paintings by Cigoli
and Signorelli's school. Opposite the Cathedral is the former
Church of Jesus, where the Diocesan Museum is located, with a
valuable collection of paintings of Tuscan art. Of great interest are the
Annunciation of Beato Angelico, a Crucifix by Pietro
Lorenzetti and other works by many painters including Sassetta,
Signorelli, etc..
In the Church of San Francesco, in the 13th century Gothic style, you
can admire the painting of Cigoli depicting San Antonio of Padua and the
Miracle of the Mula, The Nativity of Raffaele Vanni, the
Annunciation of Pietro da Cortona and a Madonna of
Calcinaio.
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