This is a
walk from Martin Daykin's "Circular
Walks on the Tuscany Umbria
Border"
Cortona
Walk
(allow 1 hour 45 minutes)
Walking time: 1 hour 20
minutes. Fairly easy, but a
steep descent.
Cortona is an ancient town
dating back to Etruscan times.
Look in the lower parts of the
town walls and you can still see
the huge blocks of stone that
the Etruscan wall was built from.
Apart from the property and
tourism boom that the town is
currently undergoing, its heyday
was in the medieval period from
around 1100 to 1400. During this
era, Cortona was an independent
city-state and its grandest
buildings date back to this
time. Later, it was a Florentine
outpost on the border with the
city-state of Perugia and then
the Papal States. A combination
of high taxation and
under-investment left the centre
in a medieval time warp. There
are two fine Renaissance
churches outside the walls but
very little architecture from
this period within the town.
Palazzo Communale and
the Piazza della Repubblica
To Find The Start
Park in one of the car parks
outside the town walls, these
can be full during the tourist
season so it’s best to arrive
early. The walk begins in the
Piazza della Repubblica in the
centre of Cortona. The most
impressive building in the
square (and the town) is the
medieval town hall, the Palazzo
Communale, which dates back to
the 1200’s.
Walk synopsis
(A) Leave the centre of Cortona
and go through the park.
(B) Climb from near the tennis
courts to Torreone, a hamlet at
the top of the town, then go
along a track to the church of
Santa Margherita.
(C) A quick detour from Santa
Margherita up to the Medici
Fortress then down to the Piazza
Signorelli through steep
medieval streets.
(D) A view from the cathedral
wall, then more narrow medieval
streets before returning to the
start (A).
Start (A)
0:00
In the Piazza della Repubblica,
stand with your back to the
steps which lead up to the
Palazzo Communale, and walk
along Via Nazionale; this is the
street at the right corner (east)
of the Piazza. After 3 minutes,
you should be at the end of the
street, ignore Via Santa
Margherita going up to the left.
The flagstone-paved street
finishes and joins a tarmac road
on a sharp bend.
0:03
Continue straight on, ignoring
the road descending to the right
near a war memorial. A minute
later, you pass the church of
San Domenico on your left. There
is a badly damaged fresco by Fra
Angelico behind glass above the
entrance door. Just after the
church, turn left into the
public gardens. You pass another
war memorial and then a fountain
on the right. A minute later,
there is a play area on the left.
0:05
Continue straight on, there are
great views of the Val di Chiana
and Lake Trasimeno from here.
Every tree that lines the road
represents a person from the
area killed in World War I and
II. As you can see, the loss of
life was considerable. 13
minutes from the play area, the
gravel ends. On your left there
are some indoor tennis courts
(B).
0:18
Follow the tarmac road around to
the left, and continue straight
on, climbing steadily. The road
is not busy but it is a sensible
precaution to walk on the left
so that you face any oncoming
traffic. 3 minutes after joining
the tarmac, the road is lined
with cypresses. You pass several
houses on the way up, after 15
minutes you pass Bramasole, the
house that featured in the book
“Under the Tuscan Sun”. It is
covered in orange/yellow stucco
and has a madonnina set in the
wall.
0:36
After another 8 minutes, you
arrive at the junction at the
top. There is a bar on your left,
it’s a good spot to refresh
yourself after the climb (closed
Wednesdays). Turn left here and
after a minute turn left again
onto the cypress-lined track (sign
posted with red and white
markers by the Club Alpini
Italia (CAI)). After 3 minutes,
the track curves sharply right
and a tarmac road heads off to
the left.
0:48
Continue along the track and
after 8 minutes, you join a
tarmac road (this is further
along the road that you were on
when you first joined the
track). Turn left onto the road;
go through the city walls, and a
minute later, you are in front
of the church of Santa
Margherita (C). Avoid using the
bar here; the owner has a
tendency to charge tourists
higher prices than those shown
on the list.
0:57
Take a quick detour up to the
Medici Fortress (which was also
the site of the Etruscan
fortress), this is often shut,
but the view from up here makes
the short walk worthwhile.
Facing the church, take the path
going up diagonally to your left.
Just before you get to the
fortress, take a small path on
your left, 3 minutes from Santa
Margherita you should be
standing on a level piece of
ground with a fantastic
panoramic view.
1:00
Return the way you came (3
minutes) and cross the square,
keeping the facade of the church
on your left. Go through the gap
in the balustrade and turn right
down a cobbled path. 3 minutes
later, the path emerges onto a
street at the top of Cortona.
Turn left and then right (straight
on), there is a small church on
your right. A minute later, you
come to a square with ilex trees
(it is actually shaped like a
triangle), turn right and head
down the incredibly steep Via
Berretini.
1:07
A minute later, you pass the
house of the painter and
architect Pietro da Cortona
(Pietro Berretini 1596-1669) on
your right. Immediately after,
you pass a large medieval water
cistern on your left. Continue
down for another 2 minutes and
you pass the church of San
Francesco on the left, the first
Franciscan church to be built
outside Assisi.
1:10
Immediately after, go straight
over the crossroads and down the
pedestrian Via Santucci. 2
minutes later, you are at the
bottom; continue straight on and
you are back in the Piazza della
Repubblica (A). You may feel
that it’s time for refreshments
in one of the bars, if not,
continue with the walk.
1:12
Pass to the right of the Palazzo
Communale and a minute later you
are in Piazza Signorelli. Here,
you will find the entrance to
the Etruscan Museum (Museo dell’
Accademia Etrusca). The museum
houses the Etruscan artefacts
found in the area, a collection
of paintings and Egyptian
mummies. It is well worth a look
around, but if you are really
interested in the Etruscans, see
if you can join a guided tour.
You can also arrange visits to
the Etruscan tombs in the plain
below Cortona, where many of the
pieces on display were found.
1:13
Exit the Piazza down Via Casale
(follow signs to the
Cattedrale), cross Piazza G.
Franciolini, into Piazza del
Duomo. 2 minutes from Piazza
Signorelli you should be
admiring the view from the wall
on the edge of Piazza del Duomo
(D).
1:14
Turn around, on your left is the
Duomo (Cathederal) and on your
right, the Museo Diocesano,
which displays art works from
Cortona’s churches. (Shut
Mondays and open 10.00-19.00
from April to October;
10.00-17.00 in other months).
The Duomo is only for serious
church enthusiasts, but the
small Museo Diocesano contains a
wonderful altarpiece depicting
the annunciation by Fra
Angelico. It also has a couple
of paintings by Luca Signorelli,
the most famous painter from
Cortona and a rather gloomy
canvas by Pietro da Cortona,
whose house you walked past
earlier.
1:14
Walk down Via Zefferini at the
far right of Piazza del Duomo,
take the first right onto Via
Cioli and turn left onto a
narrow street with overhanging
houses, Via Ianelli. This is how
much of Cortona would have
looked; the overhangs were
removed from most houses to
allow light into the narrow
streets. It is now 3 minutes
from the wall on the edge of
Piazza del Duomo.
1:17
At the end of Via Ianelli, you
can turn left up Via Roma, which
will take you back to the Piazza
della Repubblica (A) in 3
minutes. Alternatively, you can
turn right onto Via Roma and
then immediately left along the
town wall. Lose yourself in the
maze of narrow streets running
up from the wall; as long as you
keep going up, you will
eventually arrive back at the
square.
1:20
1:00