Cortonastays with you.
An insider's guide
A guide to exploring Cortona and its surroundings at a slower pace, written by the people who live here every day. Eleven windows onto art, silence and Syrah, jotted down one by one from our hotel in the centre.
Val di Chiana
A sea of green and gold as far as the eye can see
Cortona is a natural terrace 600 metres above the Valdichiana. Fields, vine rows, farmhouses, and in the distance the blue outline of Lake Trasimeno. At sunset the valley turns to gold. Arrive three quarters of an hour early, find a spot, and watch.
Climb to the Girifalco at sunset →
The walls
Touch the stones, walk with the Etruscans
Cortona's walls are twenty-five centuries old and still standing. Rest your hand on the Etruscan blocks of Porta Bifora, climb towards the Girifalco, then head down to the MAEC museum, where the Tabula Cortonensis preserves one of the longest Etruscan inscriptions ever found.
Walk with the Etruscans →
Fra Angelico
Suspended between gold and pigment
In the silence of the Diocesan Museum, Fra Angelico painted a moment that has lasted six centuries. The angel leans in, Mary listens, the gold still shimmers. In front of the Annunciation people lower their voices, without anyone asking them to.
Discover the art →
Le Celle Hermitage
Silence finds its voice among the olive trees
A stream, a stone bridge, cells carved into the rock. Saint Francis found his refuge here in 1211, and the place has never stopped welcoming those who come looking for stillness. You reach it on foot, through the olive groves, in a little over half an hour from the centre. It is the spiritual heart of this guide.
Follow the Way of Saint Francis →
Cortona DOC
The soul of Cortona in a glass of Syrah
Cortona is the only Tuscan DOC to have chosen Syrah as its leading voice: a deep, spicy red. Around the glass come hand-rolled pici all'aglione, Chianina beef grilled over embers, and new olive oil with a peppery bite. Tasting is the most direct way to understand where you are.
Taste the Syrah →
3-star hotel in the centre of Cortona
Every journey starts here, and returns here: Hotel Villa Santa Margherita
Home base is Hotel Villa Santa Margherita, a three-star hotel in the centre of Cortona: twenty-two Tuscan-style rooms, and the kind of parking that changes your whole day in a historic town centre. Every itinerary in this guide starts here — and ends with someone waiting for you when you get back.
The guide's index
10 ways to live Cortona
Art & Etruscan treasures
E-biking through the hills
Tuscan flavours
Beyond Cortona
Spirituality and silence
Cortona on film
Hiking and historic trails
Workshops and craftsmanship
Practical information
Cortona on foot
Hotel Villa Santa Margherita · 3-star hotel · Cortona · steps from the centre