Archive for 'Cortona'

Each summer, the picturesque city of Cortona in Tuscany has a calender of events re-enacting medieval traditions through May and June. At the centre of these is the Giostra dell'Archidado, or the Archidado Joust, which takes place on the second Sunday of June. Existing since the Middle Ages and created officially in 1397, it commemorates the wedding of Francesco Casali, Lord of Cortona, to Antonia Salimbeni, a noblewoman from Siena. During the festival, the city streets are decorated with banners and flags and are given a medieval flare. The music of trumpets and drums resounds and stalls selling food, drink and crafts are set up. Medieval markets are also present on certain days.

Spend a magical vacation in Tuscany visiting the welcoming tourist town of Cortona in the Val di Chiana. This beautiful town, encased by ancient walls, overlooks the scenic Lake Trasimeno and offers lots for tourists to see and do.

Stay in a lavish villa with a swimming pool in the Cortona area and enjoy all the cultural and natural treasures of the countryside here.

Cortona was placed firmly on the map when a book written by an American woman living here became a worldwide success.

Florence, the ‘Cradle of the Renaissance’, is a wonderfully artistic and cultural city to visit on your holiday to Tuscany.

If you’re staying at a holiday rental in Florence for a few days and have seen a lot of the city’s attractions then why not rent a car and explore the many welcoming towns surrounding it?

Only ten kilometres outside of Florence is the popular tourist town of Fiesole. In fact you can admire a spectacular view of the city from here.

Tourists could explore the attractions in this welcoming hub before moving onto the next destination. Cortona lies further afield at ninety minutes’ drive away but it could still easily be visited on a day trip from Florence.

Cortona is a small town in the Arezzo province of Tuscany, Italy.

It was an Etruscan and Roman colony in the ancient times. It became a part of Italy after the Italian wars of independence. Legend has it that the city of Cortona was built by Crano, the son of Noah after he fell in love with the beautiful countryside and calm air of the area, about 273 years after the great flood.

The city is on top of a hill, about 600 meters above the sea level, and offer stunning views of the surrounding valley and Lake Trasimeno. It is enclosed by ancient walls, and boasts of several architectural masterpieces of the Roman and Etruscan period.