Overnight in Cortona

This trip marks our first overnight excursion away from the city of Florence, to the walled town of Cortona made famous by the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”.  Cortona is as charming a medieval town you can possibly imagine – perched high on a hill above the surrounding towns and valleys below, the town has many steep, narrow streets and alley ways and is filled with shops, cafes  and outstanding restaurants.  Its building and structures range in age from as recent as the 1,500’s to as far back as the Etruscans – pre-dating both the Roman Empire and the time of Christ.  And yes, we did see the house used to film the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” (just outside of town).

The monument at Piazza Garibaldi, the main entrance to the town. 

Homes and apartments on the front side of town near the main entrance.  

The freshened building exteriors of stucco and paint belie just how old they really are.

Some of the buildings on the back side of town – fully renovated and
modernized inside, but maintaining their historical character.

Narrow, tiled streets and passage ways are the typical 

architecture of Cortona.  It seems impossible that they 

can drive cars in the old city center, but they do.

Angie standing in the archway of 

the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. 

Built in the 1,400’s, Church of Santa Maria Assunta 

is one of the oldest churches in Cortona.

Angie carefully considers which bottle of wine will go best with lunch….

Cortona sits high above the surrounding countryside 

and sometimes high above the cloud cover as seen here.

The sun sets through the various cloud layers on the valley below, and on Cortona last.