Festivals and Pageants: Tuscan Sun Festival: Cortona and its surroundings offer a wide range of Festivals and Pageants. These range from the much acclaimed Tuscan Sun Classical Music Festival (2-12 August) hosted in Cortona's attractive Neo Classical Theatre, to many village festivals celebrating local products - wine, oil, cheese, beefsteak etc. Within Cortona's walls, festivals start at Easter, with the Festa of Santa Margarita in May, and the Medieval Week (including the Giostro dell'Archidado or Crossbow Contest) 24 May-1 June. In June Cortona also hosts the Poetry and Coffee Festival. July as a whole is the 'archaeological month' with many free activities and guided access to normally restricted sites. Concerts, operas and English language films can all be sampled in the open in July and August. Nearby in Umbria, 11 - 20 July offers Jazz in Perugia, while 24 July - 3 August is the Trasimeno Blues Festival. 23 August - 7 September is Citta' di Castello's Spanish Music Festival
Church Art and Architecture: Tuscany was at the heart of Italy's Renaissance, making Cortona an ideal spot to sample many masterpieces where they were created. Climb to the Medici Fortress for views, or visit Cortona's Cathedral Museum with its works by Fra Angelico and the mannerist Luca Signorelli. The church of San Francesco, of an age with Assisi's Basilica and completed by the same Fra Elia Coppi, contains fragments of original frescoes. Other mini-masterpieces such as the churches of S Niccolo and S Philippo Neri deserve a visit.
Piero Della Francesca was born in San Sepulchro, and his works can be seen in Arezzo and other nearby towns. Much of Perugino's work can be seen, either in Perugia, or in the villages and towns around Lake Trasimene.
As well as hosting the Palio, Siena has two museums of great quality, and the world famous allegorical fresco 'Good and Bad Governance' in the City Hall.
Assisi is a must for the 13th Century decoration of the Basilica by Giotto and others.
Walking, Cycling, Swimming: Cortona's unique position close to mountains and lakes offers a wide variety of walks. It is possible to trace the route of Hannibal's soldiers above Lake Trasimene, or to follow the original 13th century mule tracks travelled by saints and pilgrims, including St Francis, for example from Cortona's Le Celle to Assisi or up the Val d'Arno to the monastery at La Verna. Some tracks are adopted by the Touring Club of Italy whose maps can be purchased in Cortona's bookshop, as can a number of useful walking guides. One of these offers 18 circular walks on the Tuscan/Umbrian border, of varying lengths and difficulty.
This is spectacular scenery for road and mountain biking. Bikes can be hired from nearby Camucia. For swimming we recommend Cortona's new open air pool, or the safe, shallow beaches of Lake Trasimene.
Our local expertise is always available to guests, either when we introduce you to the house, or on request throughout your stay.
