CORTONA | Local History

The Middle Age: an age of fighting and rising again.

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.