Built in the 13th century, this was the second church dedicated to St Francis after the basilica in Assisi and is a popular stop for pilgrims following the Franciscan trail. Inside, a relic of the True Cross lies in a niche behind the altar; one of St Francis' tunics is in a display case nearby.
Chiesa di San Francesco
Cortona
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
14.12 MILES
This chapel, in the apse of 14th-century Basilica di San Francesco, safeguards one of Italian art's greatest works: Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle…
29.15 MILES
This remote Franciscan monastic complex is where St Francis of Assisi is said to have received the stigmata and is a major pilgrimage destination. The…
Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria
23.21 MILES
Umbria's foremost art gallery is housed in Palazzo dei Priori on Perugia's main strip. Its collection, chronologically displayed over 40 rooms, is one of…
23.21 MILES
Flanking Corso Vannucci, this Gothic palace, constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, is architecturally striking with its tripartite windows,…
23.21 MILES
In Perugia all roads seem to lead to Piazza IV Novembre. This historic square, flanked by Palazzo dei Priori and the Cattedrale, has been at the heart of…
20.78 MILES
Pienza's duomo was built on the site of the Romanesque Chiesa di Santa Maria, of which little remains. The Renaissance church with its handsome travertine…
Museo Archeologico Etrusco di Chiusi
18 MILES
Small but outstanding, Chuisi's Etruscan museum boasts a bevy of ceramics, pottery, jewellery and cinerary urns (for cremation ashes) dating from between…
14.07 MILES
Art lovers will adore visiting this conservation laboratory. The base of Art Angels Arezzo (www.artangelsarezzo.org), a group of professional art…
Nearby Cortona attractions
1. Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona
0.11 MILES
Spread over five floors and 40 rooms in the 13th-century Palazzo Casali, the collection here includes substantial local Etruscan and Roman finds,…
0.11 MILES
At the eastern end of Via Nazionale is this 15th-century church, home to a 1515 painting of the Madonna and Saints by local luminary Luca Signorelli.
3. Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
0.16 MILES
The views of the Val di Chiana from the terrace in front of Cortona's 15th-century duomo (cathedral) are spectacular, but the church itself is…
4. Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra
0.17 MILES
Highlights of this small museum in the decommissioned 16th-century Chiesa del Gesù include a number of works by Pietro Lorenzetti, a Madonna and Child (c…
5. Basilica di Santa Margherita
0.28 MILES
For an effective cardiovascular workout, hike up to this largely 19th-century church through Cortona's warren of steep cobbled lanes. Inside, the remains…
0.37 MILES
Lap up the stupendous view over the Val di Chiana to Lago Trasimeno in Umbria from the remains of this Medici fortress, atop the highest point in town –…
1.5 MILES
This Franciscan hermitage hides in dense woodland 3km north of Cortona. Its buildings sit next to a picturesque stream with an 18th-century stone bridge,…
5.59 MILES
The lower part of Castiglion Fiorentino's fortress is home to a small collection of art including a Madonna and Child from the school of Taddeo Gaddi and…