CORTONA
The restaurant La Locanda nel Loggiato is located
in the very centre of Cortona. As Virgilio’s
legend has it Cortona was founded by legendary Dardanus
in the place where the mythical hero lost his helmet
(Corys) from which the place went on to be named Corito
and later on Cortona.
Originally a powerful Etruscan walled city, Cortona
was conquered by Romans and later on by Goths before
it became a free commune in the 12th century; Cortona
was in this period at the height of its splendour.
The historic centre of Cortona features steep and
narrow stone-paved alleyways and several medieval
and Renaissance palaces such as those overlooking
the Piazza della Repubblica and the Palazzo Pretorio,
the current seat of the Nuovo Museo dell'Accademia
Etrusca e della città di Cortona (New Museum
of the Etruscan Academy and the City of Cortona -
MAEC); this new state of the art museum houses significant
finds such as the famous Etruscan Lamp, dating back
to the 5th century B.C., the so-called Musa Polymnia
and the Tabula Cortonensis. The Museo Diocesano, located
right in front of the Cathedral, houses the Annunciation
by Beato angelico and other significant works by important
Tuscan artists such as Luca Signorelli, a native of
Cortona.
Besides the Cathedral other churches worth a visit
are the church of San Francesco, a recently restored
gothic church, the sancturay of Santa Margherita,
housing the uncorrupted body of the Saint that died
in 1362, Santa Maria Nuova, San Nicolò and
San Marco, featuring on its façade an impressive
mosaic by Gino Severini portraying the namesake Saint
with a lion.
The upper part of the town features the Medicean fortress
from which the whole surrounding area may be observed
whilst in the north-eastern part of the hill, right
outside the city walls, you will be able to visit
Le Celle, a wonderful convent founded in 1211 by San
Francesco.
The town of Cortona organizes every year in its historic
centre and all over its territory a wide range of
cultural, gastronomic, historical and folklore events.
The best known of all historical re-enactments taking
place in town is the so-called Giostra dell’Archidado
celebrating the wedding between the Lord of Cortona,
Francesco Casali and noble Antonia dei Salimbeni di
Siena. This costume event featuring parades, dances
and the so-called Colata dei Ceri (candle casting)
culminates on the last Sunday of the month in a crossbow
competition (the Giostra) in which the 5 city districts
compete. Beween late August and the beginning of September
Cortona hosts each year in the rooms of its 18th century
Palazzo Vagnotti, the former seat of the Seminario
Vescovile, the Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Mobile
Antico (National Antique Fair) attracting each year
a host of people and highlighting the cultural, artistic
and environmental characteristics of the town.
