Cortona

Introducing Cortona

With a layout indicative of someone spilling a bucket of ‘Etruscan town’ down a hillside, rooms with a view are the rule, not the exception in Cortona. In the late 14th century Fra Angelico lived and worked here, and fellow artists Luca Signorelli (1450–1523) and Pietro da Cortona (1596–1669) were both born within the walls.

Large chunks of Under the Tuscan Sun, the soap-in-the-sun film of the book by Frances Mayes, were shot in Cortona. (You’ll look in vain, though, for the fountain in which the eccentric Englishwoman cavorts; it was built specially for filming and is now dry.)

A full week of merriment in May or June (the date varies to coincide with Ascension day) culminates in the Giostra dell’Archidado, a crossbow competition first held in the Middle Ages. Among other festivities, contestants from the city’s traditional neighbourhoods dress up in medieval garb to compete for the verretta d’oro (golden arrow).

Last updated: Oct 28, 2008