More On Cortona
What a response we got to our information on Cortona. Everyone ,it seems, has been there and everyone has some questions. So here goes. Yes, it is one of the oldest settlements in Tuscany. Virgil mentions it. It was taken over by the Etruscans about the 8th or 7th centuries B.C.
The Etruscans are the people who populated the area before the Romans. Nobody knows exactly where they came from, but their art is clearly influenced by the Greeks. They settled primarily in hill areas like Cortona and Fiesole because of the natural protection offered by being so high up. Fiesole is the hill settlement above Florence that has evidence of an extensive Etruscan settlement older than Florence.
The valley below Cortona has been rich farmland and the whole area is part now of the province of Arezzo. Several Etruscan tombs have been found in the valley.
After Rome fell, the city was ruled by a few prominent families, the most powerful being the Casali. They sold Cortona to the King of Naples in the middle ages and he sold it to Florence in 1411. From that period onward the Medici had a strong presence in Cortona.
If you can take the climb, go all the way to the top of the mountain to see the old Medici fortress. One of the original bastions is still standing; the lookouts could see for miles, watching everything that went on down below. That view is worth the hike.
Immediately below the Medici fortress is the reconstructed sanctuary of Santa Margherita, patron saint of Cortona. Her story is quite touching. She was a young commoner who became pregnant by a local nobleman, who never married her. After several years of living together, he was killed in a hunting accident, so poor Margherita was left alone, penniless; with her reputation gone.
She came to Cortona, entering through a gate now named for her, the Porta Margherita. In Cortona, Margherita became a devout Christian and devoted herself to helping others. She must have had quite an impact on the area.
Much of the original protective walls are still standing. The roads up from the valley below lead through the original entrances in those walls. The walls and the Medieval and Renaissance architecture are worth the visit for anyone intrested in how these old towns were built. They are beautiful. The detail, the quality of the materials and the harmony of design are impressive.
The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie sits on the side of the hill as you drive up the main road from the town of Carmacia below. It is in the shape of a Greek cross and is absolutely breathtaking. It is one of the few Cortona sites used in the movie version of Under the Tuscan Sun.
Don’t miss Cortona if you are in the central region of Italy and have a day or two to explore. You won’t be disappointed.
The Cicerone