User talk:(WT-en) Hometuscany

Cortona is a city in [Arezzo, Tuscany].
Cortona is situated at the top of the hills, with spectacular views over the valley. From the terrace of piazza garibaldi, 600 meters above sea level, you can see the Chiana Valley, Lake Trasimeno and Mount Amiata. The legend says that Cortona was founded by the mythical Dardano: The ancient name was Corythus and with the years became Cortona. Originally, Etruscan important residency, Cortona was conquered by the Romans before and after the Goths until it became a free community in the twelfth century. The center of Cortona is characterized by its steep streets, paved with huge slabs of buildings and numerous districts or Renaissance origin: Piazza della Repubblica (The Republic Square) with the Town Hall and next to the Praetorian Palace, which now houses the new Museum of the Etruscan of Cortona (MAEC). The Museum has become one of the most important museums in central Italy as it hosts important Etruscan objects: the famous " Etruscan Chandelier " from the fifth century BC, and the muse Polymnia tabula Cortonensis, rare examples of Etruscan writing.

The Diocesan Museum, located opposite the Cathedral, home to masterpieces by great artists including The Annunciation by Fra Angelico and other works by important Tuscan artists such as Luca Signorelli, a native of Cortona.

Besides the Cathedral, is worth visiting the Church of San Francesco, Gothic and recently restored, which houses important relics such as the pattern of St. Francis, Santa Maria Nuova, San Nicholas and San Marco, with splendid mosaic depicting Saint Gino Severini with the Lion. Finally, the Sanctuary of Santa Margherita - patron saint of the city - where her dead body is kept since her death in 1362. Above the shrine, in the highest part of the city, the Medici fortress, from which you can admire a majestic landscape. Just outside the walls, one of the most mystical and spiritual points: the hermitage of the Cells, the wonderful Capuchin monastery founded by St. Francis in 1211, where the saint lived and prayed for several years.

Cortona is an excellent point for day trips, from Cortona you may reach most of the important cities in Tuscany and Umbria, it is located about half an hour drive from Siena, Arezzo, Assisi, lake trasimeno, Montepulciano and Pienza, Perugia and other interesting spots.

From Cortona you can take a train to Florence and within an hour and twenty minutes you will be in the centre of the town without breaking your head to find parking place or stand for hours in the insensitive traffic.

There are plenty of fine restaurants in Cortona, many bars and pubs, trattorias and pizza houses, beside art galleries and souvenir shops, fancy boutiques and ceramic works, typical for Tuscany.

There are many hotels and vacation farmhouses which became lately very popular, as some of them are luxurious and renovated medieval stone homes with typical Tuscan style, using the old recovered materials to give the guest the feeling of going back in time.

How to Arrive: By Car: traveling by car from the North, or South take the A1 Firenze - Roma highway (autostrada), exit at Valdichiana.(About 200 km from Rome and 60 km from Firenze) Follow the blue signs for Perugia and take the fastway (superstrada) exit at Cortona (do not exit at first sign to Cortona-Foiano) - follow directions to Cortona for 10 km till you see sign. By Train: the nearest station is Camucia o Terontola di Cortona; From the station you reach Cortona by local taxi or bus which will take you to there in few minutes drive. ==

There are many cities around such as:

Arezzo - 27 Km   The provincial capital, a beautiful city of Tuscany, Arezzo lies 80 Kms south of Florence and it dominates the beautiful valley in which Valtiberina, Valdichiana, Casentino and Valdarno valleys all join together.

Montepulciano - 30 Km   The highest of the Tuscan hill towns, Montepulciano, offers stunning views and fine exemple of Renaissance architecture. Pienza - 40 Km   The medieval village of Pienza is to be regarded as a real monument as a whole in its orderliness and rationality and offers some incredible views of the Val d’Orcia as in a painting by the best Renaissance artists. Lake Trasimeno - 12 Km   The area of Trasimeno is very pretty, there are boat trips in the summer to visit the three islands in the middle or to cross from one side to another. Siena - 60 Km   To the south west of Arezzo, edging throught the Chianti region, enter Siena and step back to the Middle Ages. and many others.

The town of Cortona is one of the prime tourist locations in Tuscany. It has abundant and various events and opportunities for tourists. Cortona has plenty of top quality restaurants and trattorias, concerts in Teatro Signorelli, important churches such as the Basilica of Saint Marguerite, charming shops, antique markets, and breathtaking views from the Piazza Garibaldi panoramic terrace. Each year in August, Cortona hosts the famous Tuscan sun festival. Although it is hard to describe the richness of the Cortona experience in a few words, you can imagine walking the narrow Tuscan streets and climbing its beautiful stone stairs, sneaking a look into retreat churches and hidden backyard gardens, and taking a relaxed espresso in a friendly spot. Cortona remembered will be as a lovely dream that remains vivid in your mind for countless years. If you wish, there are plenty of opportunities to spoil yourself in a bit of luxury in Cortona as well. There are many quality hotels and vacation houses in and around Cortona that will provide for a wide range of luxury, service, privacy, simplicity, and convenience needs. Travellers who stay at La Mucchia Casa Vacanze in the Cortona countryside will enjoy Tuscan ambience and relaxed comfort in a large, 18th century stone farmhouse that has been artfully restored and divided into several private, self-contained, and beautifully decorated apartments. Each retains unique rustic charm, yet provides modern conveniences, privacy, spaciousness, light, and comfort.

More and more tourists travel to Tuscany each year for their holidays. All enjoy the places, scenery, ambience and beauty of the ancient cities and peaceful and endless sunflower fields in the countryside. Locals contribute greatly to the pleasant stay. The most popular locations among the tourists are Florence, Siena, Montepulciano, Montalcino, San Gimignano and Cortona (“Under the Tuscan Sun”) all of whom are cities along the Chianti and Valdichiana valleys. A particularly attractive possibility of stay for the holidays is in vacation houses or to rent a farmhouse, which allow you to feel the atmosphere of living in an authentic Tuscan farmhouse, with all modern comforts. Experiencing the location, the culture, the wine and unique places while on holiday in Tuscany. Italy immediately comes to mind when considering a romantic getaway, the countryside and vast vineyards. With tourists pouring in like wine during harvest season, the locals make it a point to accommodate these visitors. Tuscan villas were built in many different locations around the Chianti and Valdichiana valleys. You can find them at the coast in Lucca and Grosseto, in the countryside along the Trasimeno Lake, on the border between Tuscany and Umbria, in Perugia and Assisi in nearby Umbria, or in the hills of Cortona, Montalcino and Montepulciano .These are a few of the places where splendid rental villas can be found. Each location presents its own unique variety of experiences and services only Italians can offer. So wherever you may go you can still have the best Tuscan holiday of your life. Couples frequently come to these locations for the romantic ambience and fall in love all over again. After every visit, you will surely plan to come back and experience the place once again. Travel agencies are ready to accommodate you in rental homes in Tuscany according to your budget and your preference of places of stay. You can choose to stay in a luxury hotel, high or middle class vacation villas, in rental homes, holiday apartments or rent a villa all for yourself and your family.

Many fantastic restaurants and trattorias in Cortona and around, some of them are : restaurant Locanda al Pozzo Antico via Ghini 12 Cortona The restaurant Locanda al Pozzo Antico (Ancient Well), situeted at ground floor of the important building of 1400 in the center of the medieval town, a short walk from Piazza del Comune, in its warm and refined atmosphere, offers typical Tuscan high quality dishes, fresh and season menu with handmade pasta, certified locally meat and fresh fish combined with the best labels of local and national wines.

During summer you can enjoy our food in the open courtyard in a special, romantic and exclusive terrace or two air-conditioned rooms and in the winter the atmosphere is warmed by the precious stone fireplace. 0575 62091, 0575 630397

Osteria dell'Acquacheta Via del Teatro 22 - 53045 Montepulciano Siena - email: info@acquacheta.eu  Joined by some Tuscan friends, we wandered down a narrow street to Osteria dell’Acquacheta, a cozy restaurant known for its steaks. During the high season, seats can be booked up to a month in advance. Today, the dark, stone dining room was crowded but it looked as if we actually had a shot at a table. After a five-minute wait, we were seated next to the open kitchen, surrounded by teenagers, young families and Tuscan businessmen, and watched as Giulio Ciolfi, the gregarious owner with a long, gray ponytail, two leather belts slung on his hips and wildly bushy eyebrows, carved into a side of beef with a machete-like knife. We ordered a steak and it arrived a few minutes later — two inches thick, seasoned simply with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grilled so rare it was still cold in the center. Don’t ask for well-done; this is how steak is served here.

Canta Napoli : Restaurant- Pizzeria Camucia, Loc. Le Piagge 33/A With a 20-years experience in the restaurant busines

brother Sorrentino will be glad to entertain people who are fond of naples food.

Fish-based dishes and good wine bring back to the customers palate memories of a land that remains in Your heart.

Our best appetizer, the "golfo di Napoli" will delight and anaze you and it will magically bring you to naples... the capital of the sun. 0575 62996, 331 2544379

Pizzeria Il Vallone in Vallone: Vallone Exit the gate and take left, go over the bridge and you reach T junction, take left, after 200 m on your right hand side you will find the black sign of the restaurant. This will be the best pizza you ever ate, to start from the simple Margherita, the one with tomatos and cheese, to go to Pizza al prosciuto, you can take any pizza you like without tomato sauce called “in bianco” and also the one with Aragola (green leaf – vegetarian pizza) they have big assotrtment of pizzas. If you are for the pasta’s it is not bad but not special. You can also have “frutta di mare fritta” it is fried sea fruits, but I recommend the pizza’s. They have large parking place beside the pizzeria and they are open after 7.15 PM. If you intend to have your meal quick and to have a place to sit, reserve or come at open time. They are closed on Tusday. Tel: 0575 – 603679

Trattoria Da Dardano Cortona: about 5 km from us. Via Dardano Cortona (within the town walls, the last gate uphill, park near the gate and walk, this is the Dardano street) This is a typical Tuscan trattoria, in the kitchen you will find the mother of Paolo, his grandmother and aunt, preparing fresh made food, the pici (kind of Tuscan spaghetti) are home made the rest not, the sauces are excellent, try spaghetti or fettucine al pomodoro picante,”flat pasta with spicy tomato sauce. Also the duck sauce is extraordinary: “Pici alla contadina” you can eat mix of meats with green salad, you will get rabbit, pork, Guinea hen and lamb, or chicken, at your choice. The local wine is good, and the Tiramisu is delicious. Prices are moderate 10-15 Euro per person; the place is crowded always, better to reserve a place in time. It has a very nice local atmosphere. Paolo speaks English; the family has a farm up on the hills of Cortona where they produce wine and olive oil. For La Mucchia guests a 10% special discount (mention to him that you stay at La Mucchia) via Dardano 24 Cortona Closed on Wednesday. 0575 - 601944

Bar 500 Cortona centre - via nazionale About halfway down Via Nazionale in beautiful Cortona is a gem of a place that is a perfect stop in between shopping or site seeing. You can either go inside and enjoy the ambience or sit outside and watch the world go by. Whenever you are in Cortona, Bar 500 is one of our required stops. The owners, Rob and Emma always make you feel welcome and the service is superb. By the way they have wonderful food and are quick to give you a variety of little munchies to enjoy while drinking a legal beverage. I would recommend while you are in cortona, stop by Bar 500. Caffe Bar Vannelli in Camucia : in Viale Regina Elena 13/19 Camucia di Cortona. Exit the gate and take left, go over the bridge and you reach T junction, take left and go straight, On the third roundabout, which is yellow painted, take left and find parking place, you must buy parking ticket, there are automats long the road, buy for half euro for one hour. They have the best coffee and pastries in town, you can have assortments of tea or hot chocolate, coffee and fresh backed pastries of any kind, nice atmosphere, very nice service, the woman on the cash speak English well. They are closed on Wednesday. No possibility to reserve. 0575 - 603431

Where to stay?

There are many hotels,agriturism,vacation farmhouses,resorts,old stone houses to let, some of them are luxurious and some not, depand on the budget each one has, one of the finest locations for accommodating is La Mucchia Casa Vacanze & Art Gallery is located in Tuscany, an area of great historical and artistic interest. The Tuscany vacation house is situated at the foot of Cortona, an ancient Etruscan town, founded by the residents of Umbria about 3,000 years ago. The farmhouse suites hotel is currently divided into eight luxurious suites, Tuscan style, surrounded by 7,000 square meters of land used for lawn, gardens, olive trees and other services and features. Some of these include parking, a children's play area, a splendid swimming pool surrounded by nature and history, and sun terraces with views of Cortona.

La Mucchia vacation house, being so ideally located for day trips (in the countryside, yet still close to Cortona), should prove the perfect choice for your Tuscany vacation and accommodations. Guests have chosen it as number one out of more then thirty hotels and farmhouses in the Cortona area. Before renting a house for your vacation in Tuscany, read and compare reviews of La Mucchia vacation house on TripAdvisor, where guests freely express their experiences travelling and staying in Tuscany.

La Mucchia Casa Vacanze, being a Tuscan Art Gallery as well, offers guests the opportunity to enjoy original oils painted by talented professional artists, all inspired by the stunning views of Tuscany and Cortona.