Cortona is a city in Tuscany, Italy. The city is best known for its beautiful Renaissance-era architecture and the surrounding natural beauty of the region.
Getting there
If you’re planning a trip to Cortona, you’re in luck! There are several options for getting there. You can take a train from Florence to Arezzo and then transfer to a bus or taxi. If you prefer driving, there’s also an option to take the A1 highway from Rome and exit at Arezzo.
The history
Cortona is a beautiful little town in the heart of Tuscany, Italy. Founded in the year 1004 by the Countess Matilda of Canossa and her husband, Bonifacio dei Pepoli, Cortona is a historic center for art and culture. The town is known for its many medieval churches and monuments, as well as its delicious food.
The history of Cortona begins with the Etruscan civilization that thrived there from around 700 BC. In fact, the Etruscan name for Cortona was Volterra (meaning “city of wolves”). The Romans conquered Volterra in 273 BC and renamed it to Cortona. After Rome fell in 476 AD, it was taken over by various barbarian groups until it was brought under control by the Holy Roman Empire in 774 AD. It remained under their rule until 1061 when it became part of the Papal States.
The name comes from a Latin word meaning “round.” This name likely came about because of its round shape on maps or because of its circular street plan which is still evident today!
Activities in Cortona
Convent/Hermitage de Le Celle
The Convent de Le Celle is a 13th-century Franciscan monastery located in Le Celle just outside of Cortona in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is also known as Convento delle Celle or Eremo Le Celle. Around 1211 or 1221, a small monastery was built here, where St. Francis of Assisi lived briefly during his lifetime. In 1235, the Franciscan minister at the time of the founder’s death, Friar Elias of Cortona, built a sanctuary, a refectory, and five monastic cells similar in size to those used by Francis himself. Monks stayed on this site for almost a century before the monastery was all but abandoned.
Basilica of Saint Margaret of Cortona
The Basilica of St. Margherita is a Neo-Gothic Roman Catholic church located outside the city of Cortona, Tuscany, Italy, at the confluence of Via delle Santucce and Via Sant Margherita, on a hill below Fortezza Medicea, Dedicated to her is the city’s native saint, Margherita of Cortona
Diocesan Museum
The Diocesan Museum of Cortona is an art museum in Cortona, Tuscany, Italy. It is located on the former site of the local Gesù church and houses works by artists such as Fra Angelico, Pietro Lorenzetti, Bartolomeo della Gatta, Luca Signorelli and Sassetta. The oldest item in the museum is the marble Roman sarcophagus depicting the battle of Dionysus. A room in the museum is dedicated to the works of Luca Signorelli and his studio, emphasizing Signorelli’s connection to his hometown and corresponding to the artist’s last creative years, from 1512 to his death in 1523. Ton
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