A lot of people have been to Tuscany. They’ve done Firenze, and Pisa, and probably Siena too. But not many people will have been to the real Tuscany, away from the aforementioned crowded tourist traps. That’s probably a little harsh of me to say, since all those cities do have their charms. But I want to show you some of the lesser know parts of Tuscany. Forget Florence, these are the places you should really go.
Let me introduce you to Cortona. She’s friendly and beautiful, and she’ll probably end up stealing your heart. By the end of my time visiting Cortona I was head over heels in love… Okay okay, enough of the gooey anthropomorphism already.
At a glance Cortona looks like it might be just the same as any other hill-top Tuscan town you care to mention – but you’d be wrong to dismiss it as such. Many of the Tuscan towns I have visited, whilst charming to look at, tend to be lacking a little soul, with many empty shops and houses for sale (no doubt in part due to Italy still being in the midst of a crippling recession). Cortona on the other hand still bustles with activity. The streets buzz with a healthy vibrancy as the eclectic mix of shops do their trade.
We stopped off some way outside Cortona’s centre, parking on the side of the hill upon which the town sits. As I have mentioned in a previous post, parking in the centre of these types of town is either prohibited or non-existent.
As you make your way up the hill towards the centre of Cortona the views get better and better. Cortona occupies a commanding position with a view that comprises a vast swathe of Tuscan countryside as well as part of Lake Trasimeno, all bordered by glowering hills in the distance. As I’m sure you can see from the pictures, it is stunningly picturesque.
After scaling the side of the hill I can guarantee you’ll be hunting for your second coffee of the day, and possibly a pastry to go with. Thankfully the cool, shaded streets of Cortona are dotted with cafes and bars stocked with all manner of delights. I can recommend Caffe Tuscher on Via Nazionale for a fine cup of Illy coffee (http://www.caffetuschercortona.com/).
Juiced up again we set about exploring the town’s eclectic mix of shops. My favourites are the antiques shops. They’re easy to overlook, with grubby windows so crammed with stuff that it’s difficult to see the treasures inside. A little bell tinkles as I squeeze through the front door of one, and with a cheery ‘buongiorno‘ to the proprietor, I begin to explore. I’m nearly tempted by an old metal Birra Moretti sign, but then realise there’s no way I’d get it back on the plane. Italians love their antiques, and especially Tuscans – there’s a world-famous antiques market in nearby Arezzo on the first Sunday of every month – well worth a visit with some 500 traders descending on the town.
After exploring the piazza and surrounding shops, we make our way further up the hill towards the church of <em>Santa Margherita</em>. The cool marble confines of the church provides welcome respite from the blazing midday sun, especially tough given the arduous climb up from the town centre. Arduous it may be, but you can see why they they built this wonderful church way up on top of the hill – the heavenly views.
Climb further still and you’ll stumble upon the Castello del Girifalco. A small fee gets you inside this castle-cum-museum. Crucially it also grants you one of the greatest views of Tuscany. In the foreground the fortifications of the castle tumble off down the hillside between the cypresses. At the bottom of the hill beautiful Tuscan farmland stretches across the plains towards the appenines, broken only by the glistening <em>Lake Trasimeno</em>.
If there is a heaven, I hope it’s somewhere like this.
Ciao ragazzi.
Campanilismo 