In Cortona there is an ancient pottery tradition, that is carried on also nowadays by some craftsmen of Cortona. If you are walking down the traditional alleys of Cortona, you could see the local pottery shops, that sell you the typical Cortona pottery. The traditional “cocci” (the dialect word that means pottery) were used as simple and everyday objects, like plates, glasses, vases and jars. During the ancient times, the Cortona potteries were produced, cooked and sold in a specific part of the city: the area called “I Cocciai”, that is a little neighbourhood just outside the city wall. You could also see nowadays this zone, which corresponds to Via del Duomo Vecchio (because originally the cathedral of Cortona was located in this place) and Borgo San Vincenzo. The original decoration was the mottled one, and it is characterized by yellow background with green spots. If you visit the ceramic’s shops in town, you could find this design on the pottery. Once the colours were made from natural ingredients that were all available in the countryside. This type of decoration reminds the shades of Valdichiana hills, full of sunflowers and wheat fields. The flower on the decoration is a daisy or a sunflower, and it is green and brown on a yellow background. The story of Cortona ceramics does not concern only the popular flower, but it reveals an important tradition coming from centuries ago. In the early nineteenth century Cortona had its own production of fine ceramics. The pottery from that period was produced in an important factory called Catrosse. The name “Catrosse” was the name of the villa where the Venuti brothers, a noble family of Cortona, lived, and here they founded the furnaced and produced the pottery in 1796. In town there are two craft shops that sells the typical pottery from Cortona. They still nowadays produce all the ceramics manually: one is “L’Antico Cocciaio”, located in Via Benedetti 24, the other is “Terrabruga”, located in Via Nazionale 54. When you come to Cortona do not miss to visit the two shops, because you will be struck by the beauty of this pottery.

Cortona is a city surrounded by Etruscan walls. In the Middle Age to access to the city there were five doors, that are still visible nowadays and used to access to the city: Porta Sant’Agostino, Porta Santa Maria, Porta Colonia, Porta Montanina, Porta Bifora and Porta Berarda. The one of which we talk here today is: Porta Bifora. Porta Bifora has an interesting story behind it. Once it was called the "cursed door." But why? Here's the story. On February 2nd, 1258, during the 13th century, the Ghibellines from Arezzo, along with exiled Guelphs from Cortona, entered the city secretly, planning to take control. A man from Cortona helped them by letting them in through Porta Bifora. Once inside, they burned and looted the city. Because of this, when the city's walls were later repaired, the door was closed. People believed it was cursed because of the betrayal by the inhabitant from Cortona, who let the Ghibellines enter inside the town. Nowadays it is open, and it is one of the easiest accesses to the town. 

In June there is the Giostra dell’Archidado, a crossbow race where all the ancient districts of Cortona compete to win the so-called verretta d’oro, a golden arrow. The Giostra dell’Archidado was officially established in 1397 to celebrate the wedding between Francesco Casali, the lord of Cortona, and Antonia Salimbeni, a noble woman from Siena. Every year the city of Cortona reenacts this historical event during the second Sunday of June. All the city dresses up with flags along all the streets, people dress with medieval dresses, there will be flag wavers and musicians… you will make a step back in time. This year the events around the Archidado joust will take place on the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th of June. 
If you want to know more about the joust and the linked events, you can click the button below.

During the first weekend of June, linked with the events of the Giostra dell'Archidado, Cortona makes a step back in the Middle Age with the medieval market, that takes place in Piazza Signorelli. Here you could find ancient markets of craftsmen, and you could taste the ancient medieval taste at the Taverna del Balestriere (Crossbowman tavern). In the market you can find many handicrafts from the soap, to the wicker basket market stall, and you could enjoy a fantastic and peculiar atmosphere. If you have the chance, come to Cortona during this period, because you will find yourselves back in time. This year the medieval market will take place on the 31st May 2025, 1st-2nd June 2025. Below you can find the button with the link to the Giostra dell'Archidado website.

During the month of May there is the reenactment of the feast in honour of Santa Margherita, the patron saint of Cortona. Once, during the Middle Ages, in the day of the feast of Santa Margherita, each ancient district of Cortona, that once were called Terzieri because the city was divided into three districts, came to the main square to offer the wax to make a candle in honour of the Saint. Once made, these candles were blessed and brought to the church of Santa Margherita, to offer them to the Saint. Nowadays, there is the reenactment of this tradition, and all people of each district of Cortona, dressed with medieval dresses, parade each one in its own street and they meet all together in the main square of the city, Piazza della Repubblica, where there is the performance of the flag wavers and musicians of the historical group of Cortona. After the performance all the candles for the Saint are blessed, and they started a parade that goes from Piazza della Repubblica to the church of Santa Margherita. This year the reenactment will take place on the 23rd and 24th of May 2025.

Bigordi Banderie is the international festival of flags that each year takes place in Cortona. It was created by the Gruppo Storico di Cortona (historical group of the city), which includes flag wavers and musicians (trumpet and drum players). This year it is the 3rd edition of the festival, and there will be many groups taking part. The name of the festival (Bigordi Banderie) came from the municipal statue of Cortona of 1325, where there were mentioned some flags used during the performances in honour of Santa Margherita, the patron Saint of Cortona. The performers used the Bigordi Banderie, a peculiar type of flags with very long flagpole. The historical group of Cortona still use this kind of flags during their shows, and if you have the chance to see this performances, these flags will let you make a step back in time, when there were the medieval jousts. The festival Bigordi Banderie was founded in 2023, with the will of making Cortona the Italian capital of the flag art. The purpose of this festival is the one of joining in Cortona many different styles of flag shows, from the ancient to the more modern one. During the various edition of the festival, many international groups were invited. This year, among some groups from all over Italy, there will be a Spanish historical group from Tortosa. This event is organized in cooperation with Consiglio dei Terzieri and supported by Comune di Cortona. This year, Bigordi Banderie will take place on the 17th and 18th of May 2025.
If you want to know more about festival and about the historical group of Cortona, you can click the link below to their website.

The church of San Marco is located in the city centre of Cortona, along via Santa Margherita. San Marco, together with Santa Margherita, is the patron Saint of Cortona. The peculiarity of this church is that is composed by two superimposed churches. Another characteristic feature of this church is the big outdoor mosaic, representing the saint and his symbol: the lion. The history of the building dates back to the end of sixteenth century. During that time the Company of the Holy Trinity of Lay people designed this construction to be dedicated to the Holy Trinity.  In reality in the location where there is the church, there was an hospital for pilgrims. You can access to the upper church through a Baroque gate made during a later period. On the lower church of San Marco there is the already mentioned mosaic dedicated to San Marco and made in 1961 by the famous artist Gino Severini. The church of San Marco is not always open to public, and if you want to visit it you should ask the tourist office for some further information. Annexed to the church there is a small museum that preserve some sacred objects. The church keeps also a statue of Jesus, that together with other statues placed in other churches in Cortona, is carried during the Easter procession of the Good Friday.

Cortona is also famous all over the world for its wine tradition. The historical researches say that the winery production of Cortona dates back to the Etruscan period, in which, thanks to the weather conditions of the area, the Etruscans planted the vineyards using a particular technique, that is based on the concept of mixing this type of cultivation with other arboreal plants. There are many scenes of banquets with some figures, on some Etruscan amphorae and vases, portrayed the moment when they drink wine. There are some written traces of the famous Roman author Plinio il Giovane, who precisely talks about the excellent wines of Etruria, praising particularly a wine called Estesiaca produced in the area of Cortona.  The DOC wine of Cortona has got mainly 3 types of wines: red, white and Vin Santo. The suitable grapes of the winery production of Cortona DOC are the ones traditionally cultivated in the production area. Among the red one are noteworthy: Sangiovese, Merlot and Syrah; among the white one: Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Grechetto wine and Tuscan Trebbiano. Among these wines the most famous is the Syrah. The first testimonies of the Syrah production date back to the 1960s, when some private companies, finding some traces inside their vineyards, decided first to develops some surveys around its genomic origin, then to cultivate it.
If you come to Cortona you have to try a good glass of wine in one of the various wine bars you can find inside the city. 

Cortona, as all Tuscany and Italy, has got an important gastronomic tradition. The culinary heritage of Cortona is influenced by all the rural traditions of the Valdichiana. Nowadays on the table of the Cortona’s locals, and also in restaurants inside the town, we could find typical recipes that come from the past. A typical Cortona meal could start with the tasty bruschette, some toasted slices of bread that are topped with extra virgin olive oil produced by the local farms, with the supplement of black cabbage, if it is autumn or winter. This vegetable is widely used in the Tuscan tradition, in fact it is the basis of lots of recipes in Tuscany. One of the typical Tuscan sauces for the croutons is the so-called crostino nero, “black” one, that is traditional of this area and the area nearby. Among the first courses there are the soups, particularly the ones made with fresh vegetables, even if the pici are the kings of tables in Cortona. It is a kind of handmade pasta a little bit thicker than spaghetti, made with water and flour, throw a process called appicciatura. The pici are well matched with sauces meat based or nana based (nana is the dialect word for female duck). Other sauces are bread crumbs based or made with tomatoes and aglione della Valdichiana IGP (a typical big garlic that grows only in Valdichiana and that is PGI). Other culinary specialities from Cortona are influenced by the ancient habit of hunting through the woods of Valdichiana. For this reason, lots of second courses are hunting meat based, as wild boar or roe deer. But also, other meats are used to make the sauce for pasta, as the meats of farm animals like rabbits, chicken and ocio (male duck), that once were originally cooked at the end of summer, when farmers used to do the threshing of the wheat, and the duck were offered to the farmers at the end of the work as a thankfulness for their job. The ocio is usually cooked roast in the oven, but it is also used to make the sauce of the pasta, and this type of pasta is really delicious! If you find this on the menu of the restaurants in Cortona, you should try it!
Among desserts there are some of them you can’t miss to taste, as castagnaccio, a cake made with chestnut flour, the rice fritters and the ciaramiglia, a typical cake made during the Easter period.  You could try all this delicious food in the restaurant of the city centre, where you could eat the typical food of Tuscany and Italy. 

A few kilometres far from the city of Cortona, there is the beautiful and historical Abbey of Farneta. The church was built between the ninth and tenth century by the Benedictine monks, and it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary of the Assumption. The abbey was the “mother” of lots of other abbeys spread all over Italy. The first document, where the abbey is mentioned, dates back to the 1014. There is nothing left from the original convent part, but the church survived, even if after the departure of the monks, its dimension was heavily reduced. Today the abbey has got a Romanesque style, with only one aisle, three apses in the wall at the bottom and two apses that you can see in the heading of the transept. Originally it had the aspect of a basilica with three aisles. At the side of the entrance there are two granite columns, that come from Roman buildings. The part that has maintained its original aspect is the presbytery, over the precious and fascinating crypt. The structure resumes the sacellum of the early Christian cemeteries, with two side cells with a shamrock shape and one central cell with a four-leaf clover shape. Near the church and in the area of Farneta, during the 1960s, the priest of the abbey don Sante Felici, passionate about palaeontology and archaeology, found some fossil remains of mammoth and other animals from Pleistocene, some Etruscan urns and a Roman tomb. All these findings once were in the sacristy, today these are preserved in the primary school of Farneta.

The church of San Niccolò is a small, but stunning church located in the upper part of Cortona, on the quarter of the city called by all people that live in Cortona: “Poggio”. The church has got a Romanesque style, and it dates back to around fifteenth century. Inside the church there are lots of piece of art, among which you can admire a paint of the famous Luca Signorelli, the painter born in Cortona. There is a small driveway that takes you to a wide churchyard, enclosed by a wall, in front of the church entrance. The church is preceded by an original fifteenth century portico, restored in 1930. Even if the church is not so big, is one of the most characteristic and beautiful churches in Cortona. Inside the church is kept also a statue of Jesus, that together with other statues located in other churches of Cortona, is carried during the Easter procession of the Good Friday.

Via Jannelli, better known as via del Gesù, is one of the most characteristic alleys you could find in the city centre of Cortona. This street is surmounted by the back façade of the church of Gesù. The peculiarity of this alley is the presence of some houses that date back to 1300. The houses have still got some parts of their original medieval architecture. These structures have the external face stone and brick made, jambs, doors and lintels stone made, brackets wooden that support the prominent upper floor. Walking along this street you will immediately do a step back in time.

Going up on the hill of Cortona, you will reach a beautiful and quiet area of the city. This little garden is located inside the quarter called, by all people from Cortona, Poggio. This name dates back to the Middle Age, when the city of Cortona, after the formation of a new urban centre, was divided into three districts: the district of San Vincenzo, the district of Santa Maria and the district of San Marco and Poggio. The district of San Marco and Poggio was the one located in the upper part of Cortona. From here, you could reach the church of Santa Margherita, the church of the patron saint of the city. It is one of the most stunning areas in Cortona, because in a few minutes you can easily reach the centre of Cortona, but at the same time you are located on a quiet and peaceful area. In the quarter of Poggio you could find two important churches: the church of San Niccolò and the small, but beautiful church of San Cristoforo. If you go straight on, passing the church of San Cristoforo, you will meet the Etruscan walls, and passing one of the door of the city called Porta Montanina, you could go out of town and from this part you can admire a beautiful landscape of the Val di Chiana, and an amazing silhouette of Cortona.

“Eremo delle Celle” is a masterpiece you can’t miss if you come to visit the area of Cortona. It is located just few kilometres far from the town, and it is a place of peace and calm. The monastery is built surrounded by nature and woods. The Eremo is one of the first Franciscan settlement chosen and wanted by San Francesco of Assisi. The history of the hermitage begins before the arrival of San Francesco. In fact, the name of this location Celle says that in this place once there was the ancient presence of small caves originated from the rocks, and used by the local shepherds and farmers. San Francesco arrived in Cortona in 1211 together with friar Silvestro. Thanks to a blessed from Cortona named Guido Vagnottelli, he knew this place. Francesco made some cells, included the one where he stayed many times, until few months before his death. You could still see his cell, that remained the same as it was when San Francesco was alive. After the death of the Saint, the monastery was fixed and expanded by friar Elia, the general minister of the Order of Friars Minors of that period. The construction works for the monastery, as it is today, began in 1235, when Frate Elia, who was from Cortona, started to build the first part of the convent. From the 1537 the monastery is inhabited by the Capuchin order of monks. Around the Eremo there is a beautiful wood of holm oak and cypress. And inside this wood there is a bridge, called Ponte del Granduca (Bridge of Gran Duke), that is over the river that go through the hermitage. This bridge dates back to 1728, and it was ordered by the Grand duke of Tuscany. The wood that surrounds the bridge and all the hermitage, dates back to very ancient times, because already in the oldest reproductions of hermitage, you can clearly see the big trees that surrounds the monastery. The hermitage is always generally open, so you could go and visit it when you like. Don’t miss the chance to visit this place, because is a place of soul, spirituality and nature, and this visit will remain in your heart and in your mind.

The Medicean fortress called Girifalco is the building that overlooks the city of Cortona, because it is placed on the top of the hill. It was built supposedly in sixth or fifth century AD. The shape of the building is a trapezoid, and it has got four large bastions. The first historical references of the castle in Cortona, were written in 1258. Unfortunately, the fortress was raided many times during the years, especially during the war against Arezzo. In 1411 together with all the city, were sold to the Republic of Florence, and they started the restoration from 1527. The first thing they did is to connect the fortress with the urban walls. In 1766 it was given unarmed to the city of Cortona, and it was used as the city jail. Then during the Second World War, it was used as a refuge for 250 daughters of Italian abroad and as strategic place both for allied troops and German soldiers. In 1959 and 1969 the fortress has gone through many restorations that make it more accessible to the visitors. In 2010 one bastion of the fortress, called Santa Maria Nuova, was recovered and it was installed also a lift to improve the accessibility and allow a new used of the building, and to make it suitable for everyone. Nowadays the fortress hosts temporary exhibitions. From the top of the main tower of the fortress, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the city of Cortona and the entire Valdichiana, and from here you can see a spectacular and unforgettable sunset. 
Below you can find the direct link to the website, where you can find all the useful informations.

Villa Passerini is located in Pergo, a town nearby Cortona. The villa was built in seventeenth century, but during the next centuries has gone through many changings and restorations, especially during the 1800. The villa takes its names from the family of the cardinal Silvio Passerini, one of the most important personalities of Cortona. The outside of the villa has got a wide garden, fenced with a boundary stone wall. There are also many terraces and they are crossed by some avenues. The avenues take to a wood where once they used to set the nets to hunt the birds. On the side of the villa there are a beautriful garden with many varieties of flowers. Among the architectural elements there is one that is peculiar: the little neoclassical temple called “poledraia”, that once was used to place the citrus fruits during the cold season and it was decorated with mosaics on the façade and interior frescos where are represented some military scenes of the Napoleonic army. In front of the villa there is on the lawn a beautiful water basin, that was built in 1733, and it has got many decorations like a small bridge, a little island and some stone arches. The villa nowadays is not visitable, and it is used as place for wedding celebrations.

Il Palazzone, is one of the most important palaces in the area of Cortona. It rises on the hills nearby Cortona, perched on the left side of the hill. The palace was commissioned by the cardinal Passerini, that was the bishop of Cortona in the first years of 1500. But why he commissioned this big construction? To demonstrate the power reached by his family under the defence of the Medici family. The tower that overlooks all the building is 42 metres hight, and it is the first element that strikes the eyes when you look at the Palazzone. The descendant of the cardinal, the Count Lorenzo Passerini, gave at his death in 1968 the palace to the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, with all the ancient furniture. The structure has a particular style outside, but in the interiors, there are many precious architectural beauties. The villa was built in the first decades of the sixteenth century, and the project was given to the architect Giovan Battista Caporali, who was influenced by other artists of that period. On the outside there is a wide garden with, in the  centre a well. Inside of the building there are also works of the famous Luca Signorelli and his student Tommaso Bernabei called “Papacello”. Luca Signorelli painted a small chapel inside the palace, but he was at least at the end of his life. Inside of Palazzone there is one room that hits for its decoration and paintings, that is the room of “Papacello”. Inside this wonderful room there is an important painting, that represtents the battle of Trasimeno, and in the background, there is a silhouette of Cortona. This is an important witness, because if we look at it, it seems like it is an ancient photo, and it could give us important information about how Cortona was in that period. Il Palazzone is not accessible for visit, but sometimes during the year, there are some guided tours organized by the cultural association of the city.

Palazzo Passerini, also known as Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo (Palace of the Captain of People), is one of the most important palaces that rises on the main square of Cortona, Piazza della Repubblica. The palace dates back to 1250, it was built as the headquarter of a new judge, the so-called Captain of People, who had to defend the rights of the people against the violences of the tycoons. The building originally was high and it was provided of its own bells and tower, higher than the one on the clock tower of the Municipal Palace. In 1500 due to the visit to Cortona of the pope Leone X, the palace was profoundly renewed by the cardinal Silvio Passerini. Palazzo Passerini was completely restored and it were added other sides, that makes the building a real Renaissance palace. The façade was frescoed, and there was also a big terrace with many coloured stained-glass windows. The original medieval architecture is remained on the side façade of the palace, where you can see many original little windows and the original features of the tower- palace. A little curiosity: Palazzo Passerini hosts also our office on the ground floor, so we are very lucky to live directly this architectural and historical beauty every day!

Palazzo Casali is one of the most important and beautiful palaces in the city centre of Cortona, between Palazzo Comunale and the Theatre. There is another name with which is famous, that is Pretorian Palace, because, during the Middle Age, it hosted the Florentine commissioners. It was built by the Casali family in thirteenth century, and it was their official home when they came to Cortona. there are many coats of arms, still visible, that indicate the headquarter of the Florentine commissioners. If we take a look at the façade of the palace, we can see a sixteenth century style, due to many restorations made in this period. Inside Palazzo Casali today there is the Museum of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona in the two underground floors, where you can find the Etruscan and Roman findings of the area. If you go upstairs on the first floor, there are the Historical Archive, the municipal Library and the Etruscan Academy. Many cultural events of the city take place in this palace, especially in the beautiful Medicean room of the palace. Palazzo Casali has got the same opening hours of the MAEC. If you want to know their opening hours, you can visit their website.

Placed on the main square of Cortona, Piazza della Repubblica, there is one of the most famous palaces in Cortona, that you could see in many pictures of the city: the Town Hall palace with the clock tower. The palace dates back to the twelfth century, and it was built on the remains of a Roman Forum. They wanted to build a new palace dedicated to the new municipal institutions. The Town Hall palace is one of the artistic and historical witness that show the greatness of Cortona during the medieval period. Its original structure has got a Romanic style, and it had already a stair from which  you could reach the main door, that you can still see it nowadays if you enter from Piazza della Repubblica. In the sixteenth century was changed and expanded, adding on the left side a new visible side from Via Roma, and an arch that overlooks the street. In addition to that, the famous clock tower was also built in that period, and it is still nowadays what makes the building peculiar. Once, the clock tower was used to mark the passing hours, with the sound of the bell on the top of the tower. Unfortunately, for safety problems, nowadays the bell is not ringing. The works to build the palace started after the municipal autonomy of Cortona, and during the centuries, it was restored with many other elements. The aspect that we can see today is a restoration made in 1896. The architect who renovated the Town Hall palace, was the same that renewed also the church of Santa Margherita. Inside the palace, there is one room that stands out from all the rooms, that is the Council Hall. In this room there are many wall paintings, and an amazing stone fireplace, made by Cristofanello, that dates back to the sixteenth century.