Set in a beautiful location, immersed in the green hills around Cortona, there is the Tanella Angori, an important witness of the Etruscan funerary tradition. The tomb was found in 1949 after some working on the land nearby. The Tanella Angori has a similar architecture to the Tanella di Pitagora, but it was bigger than the Pythagoras’ one. The grave has a diameter of about 11 metres, but unfortunately there are few remains. Probably there was a ground cover that recalled the feature of the more ancient Tombs of Sodo. The dating is the same of the Tanella di Pitagora; it dates back to II century BC. The only thing that we can see, is the lower part of the crepido, that is a cylindrical tambour on a circular base, and a few blocks of the crowning band. The interior has got a Greek croos, and it keeps the floor of the chamber. You can visit Tanella Angori, Tanella di Pitagora and the Tomb of Mezzavia, autonomously during the opening hours of the Archaeological Park of Sodo. 

Among the olive trees located in the street that from Cortona goes down at the bottom of the hill, there is the famous Tanella di Pitagora (Tomb of Pythagoras). Why it is called that way? Is it the real grave of the famous mathematic Pythagoras? In the ancient time, people believed that the grave belonged to Pythagoras for the close similarity of the word Cortona with Croton, the city of Magna Graecia, place where the philosopher lived and taught. In reality this is an Etruscan tomb built during the Hellenic age (II century BC). The owners of the tomb are a famous family of the city, they were called Cusu. This grave has got a peculiar aspect, there aren’t any common constructive characters of the traditional Etruscan burial funerary architecture. It has got one burial chamber, with niches on its sides and at the end of the grave, where usually Etruscans used to put the funerary cinerary urns. The Tanella di Pitagora has always been over the ground, but with the archaeological excavation of nineteenth century, the grave was completely highlighted. In 1929 the tomb was given by the countess Maria Laparelli Pitti to the Etruscan Academy of Cortona, the actual owner. The Tanella di Pitagora, together with Tanella Angori and the Tomb of Mezzavia can be visited during the opening hours of the Archaeological Park of Sodo autonomously. 

In the lower part of the hill of Cortona, in the village called Sodo, there is located the Archaeological Park of the area. Inside the park, there are two of the Etruscal burial mounds from the Archaic period: the Tumulo I and Tumulo II. These two burial mounds are called, for their silhouette, meloni (melons), because they remind the shape of a melon that comes out from the ground. The Etruscan graves of this area belonged to the princes of VI century BC, the most important members of the local Etruscan aristocracy. The structure of the burial mound rises on a wide round basis made by big stones. And on this base was erected a burial chamber. At the end of the construction, all was covered by the ground. This step created the typical shape of a little hill, so that the status symbol of the family was clear and recognisable. Among the two burial mounds, there is one that outstands: the Tumulo II. It has got a stunning steps-terrace decorated with sculptural groups and architectural elements orientalising style. Nowadays the original steps-terrace was brought to the MAEC, and in the archaeological park is placed a replica of the original. The archaeological park has got opening hours and days, so make sure to look at when they are open. If you come to this area you can't miss a visit to this archaeological site, because you can find unique findings. 

The Diocesan Museum is a jewel inside the city of Cortona. It is located in Piazza del Duomo, the square where the cathedral is located. From here there is a stunning view over the Val di Chiana and the surrounding hills and mountains. The place is peculiar, because it is developed inside the ancient ex-church called Del Gesù. The museum keeps various objects and work of art from the church of the area belonging to the diocese. There are lots of important works of art made by Pietro Lorenzetti, Beato Angelico, Bartolomeo della Gatta and Luca Signorelli. But surely, the most important piece inside the museum is the “Annunciazione of Beato Angelico”, that is a wonderful artwork famous all over the world painted in about 1430. The Academy Museum includes also the very well-known painting made by Gino Severini in 1916: the Maternità. The Diocesan Museum is something that is a must-see in Cortona, because you will have the chance to admire the wonderful artworks of Luca Signorelli. 

The Laudario from Cortona, is one of the most ancient and important music collection written in vernacular Italian. It was found in 1876 in bad conditions. Probably it was written between in 1270 and 1297. The Laudario belonged to the Fraternità di Santa Maria delle Laude, and it was kept inside the church of San Francesco, in the upper part of Cortona. The Laudario Cortonese is a parchment codex, and inside the codex there are 66 laudi. The peculiarity of this codex is that 46 laudi are written together with the corresponding musical notation, so it is an important example also of the music of that time. The laudi inside the Laudario have got a religious and Marian topic. Why the Laudario is so important? Because it was the first and more ancient witness of a new book genre, that spread all over the Italian and European confraternities during the middle age. Who wrote the Laudario? Probably the authors of the book belonged to the Lay People Confraternities that rose in Umbria and Tuscany during the XII century. Inside the text there are many peculiar rhetorical features and also the metric is very refined. In Cortona you will have many occasions to hear these beautiful melodies and songs. In fact, lots of this Laudi are sang during the religious services in the churches of Cortona. Moreover, in Cortona during all year, there are many concerts that take place, where lots of choirs sing the Laudi, and creating a peculiar and unique atmosphere. If you have the chance, when you will be in Cortona, go to one of these amazing concerts, and you will experience a special ambience. 

The Etruscan chandelier is one of the flagships of MAEC. It was found on the 14th of September 1840 by some farmers in Fratta, a location in the countryside near Cortona. The chandelier was restored during the 90s, and it is considered one of the most important pieces of the Etruscan bronze art. The chandelier is made of cast bronze with the technique of lost wax and it was composed by a circular small bathtub that once was used for the collection of the lighter fluid, and a cylindric stem for attack. If you take a look at the iconography of the chandelier is very complex. There are three concentric rows that unfold from the central medallion. On the central part is represented the “Gorgoneion” that is the face of Gorgone or Medusa with her monstrous mask, her feral eyes, mouth wide opened long tusks and tongue out, and with snakes for hair. The chandelier dates back to the half of fourth century BC. Probably the chandelier was created for a particularly important tomb, or most likely for a sacred building.  In fact, near the place where it was found, there is an archaeological area, with many tombs and religious places. Regarding the style and the level of decorations, it seems that this precious object was created by some craftsmen of the Central Etruria, perhaps between Arezzo and Orvieto. Even the famous Chimera of Arezzo, the Mars and the statue of the Orator came from this area. The chandelier was presumably place inside a big sanctuary, suspended from the ceiling, that brightened up all the room with its sixteen torches. The complexity of the decoration, that is a unicum compared to the similar big chandeliers, makes not easy to know if the chandelier could have also a symbolic meaning, among the decorative function. The chandelier is stored inside the museum suspended from the ceiling, inside the room dedicated to the chandelier.

The Tabula Cortonensis is one of the most important discoveries of the Etruscan age. But why it is so important? Because it has got 40 lines written in Etruscan language, and it was one of the longer Etruscan language inscriptions all over the world. This kind of language is mysterious, because we could know this language just from the funerary inscriptions, and so we could understand only some words concerning the religious, familiar or social topic. In addition to that, there are many gaps in the full comprehension of the language, in terms of grammar and vocabulary. For that reason, the Tabula is a unicum. It is made of bronze, and it was broken into eight pieces, and from these pieces, one has been lost. It was found in the area near Cortona in 1992, but it was only revealed to public in 1999. In the document a main scribe engraved the first 26 lines of the recto and the verso; a second scribe engraved the last six lines of the recto. Although there is a missing piece, the researchers were be able to understand the topic of the text. It is a rare legal document that dates back to the end of III and the beginning of II century BC. The place of origin is unknown. As far as it possible to translate, it seems like a registration of a deal between some characters, some of them presumably high-ranking people, about some lands, one of these is placed in the area of Lago Trasimeno. The Tabula represents an invaluable contribute to what we know about the Etruscan language and to history in general, so if you are spending some days in Cortona, you can’t miss to come to the MAEC and visit it!

The Maec is the Museum of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona, and it is the archaeological museum of the city. The location of the museum is stunning, because it is set inside one of the most important palaces of Cortona: Palazzo Casali. Originally, this building was the house of the Casali family, who were the lords of Cortona from 1325 to 1409. The palace was built during the 13th century directly by the Casali family. Then, when the Etruscan academy was found, in 1728 the noble floors became its headquarter. The two underground floors, that once where the prisons of Cortona, nowadays host the part dedicated to the Etruscan and Romans, with all the ancient findings discovered in the area nearby Cortona and inside the city centre. Going up to the next floors, there is the medieval part of the museum, the Egyptian rooms and the part dedicated to the Etruscan Academy. Inside of the museum, some of the most important discoveries are the ones dating back to the Etruscan period: the Tabula Cortonensis and the Etruscan chandelier. If you are planning to come to Cortona, you can’t miss a visit to the MAEC. Read more about the findings inside this category of our blog!
 

In 1737, the senior branch of the Medici line went extinct and Cortona came under the authority of the House of Lorraine. In 1727 one of the most important associations in Cortona, that still nowadays is working, was born, : the Etruscan Academy of Cortona. It was set up by a group of researchers from Cortona, with the purpose of exploring the archaeological and historical studies. These intellectuals had also some relationships with the most advanced sectors of the culture of that time. To remark the importance of this academy in the Etruscan researches, and also the roots of the city of Cortona, to the president of the association was given the title of Lucumone, that is the ancient name of the Etruscan governors; and still nowadays the name remained that. Precisely on this year (1727), there is the birth also of the museum of Cortona, when the abbot Onofrio Baldelli gave all his personal museum and library to the academy. To this first museum, as the time passes, many other findings were added, for example the Etruscan chandelier, one of the most important Etruscan findings made during the 19th century. in the course of 20th century, one of the most important people inside the Etruscan Academy was Girolamo Mancini, the most outstanding historian from Cortona, that studied all the ancient period of Cortona, and added to the library many manuscripts, from which the most important one is the Laudario Cortonese. Then, after the second world war, the Etruscan Academy had its important position in all the area of Cortona and not only. In fact, there are many collaborations with other museum and association in Italy and all over the world that has been made by the Etruscan Academy. 

During the medieval period, Cortona became a Ghibellinian city, and we could easily know it, if we take a look at the architecture. In fact, if you look at the tower of the municipal palace, you could see on the top of the clock tower the typical battlements of the Ghibellinian cities. During that period, Cortona was one of the most important cities of this area. But there was a date that changed its status, that is still reminded today by people of Cortona: 2nd of February 1258. On this day, the Ghibellines from Arezzo, together with the exiled Guelph from Cortona, came inside the city, under false pretences to conquer the city. But how could they enter inside? In secret, one Cortona’s man let them came inside the city through one of the main doors, called also nowadays Porta Bifora. The people from Arezzo burnt and raided the city, driving out all the inhabitant of the city. The legend says that they left a burning candle on the door of the cathedral, and until the light was on, people form Cortona could escape, but when the light finished, the people from Arezzo would have killed everyone who were remained inside the city. Luckly, people of Cortona found refuge in Perugia, and after many years, they came back to the city. From 1325 to 1409, the Ranieri-Casali family successfully ruled the town. Then in 1409 Cortona was sold to the Medici family, the important family of Florence. During this period, they built the Girifalco Fortress on the top of the hill. A curiosity about the Porta Bifora; the tradition says that is a cursed door, because from that door people from Arezzo came into the city to raided it. It was opened again only in 1950, after some works by the archaeologists, and nowadays is one of the accesses to the city.