Cortona, Italy
Cortona is a town in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic center of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo. It is one of the most ancient European cities, situated on a hill not far from the Tiber Valley and Trasimeno Lake.
The prevailing character of Cortona’s architecture is medieval with steep narrow streets situated on a hillside (altitude 600 metres), embracing a view of the whole of the Valdichiana. From the Piazza Garibaldi (still referred to by the local population by its older name, Piazza Carbonaia) is a fine prospect of Lake Trasimeno, scene of Hannibal's ambush of the Roman army in 217 BC (Battle of Lake Trasimene). Parts of the Etruscan city wall can still be seen today as the basis of the present wall. The main street, via Nazionale, is the only street in the town with no gradient, and is still usually referred to by locals by its older name of Ruga Piana.
A part from its artistic beauty, Cortona is a very important tourist destination because of its privileged geographical location. For this reason, if you stay in Cortona you can easily visit many close places, which are very interesting from the cultural and artistic point of view, like Florence, Siena, Perugia, Pienza, M ontepulciano, Montalcino, Lake Trasimeno, Arezzo, Assisi, Gubbio, Orvieto, Spoleto and many others.
How to reach Cortona
Arriving by plane
Florence Peretola International Airport (about 120 Km away) - www.aeroporto.firenze.it
Perugia Sant’Egidio International Airport (about 60 Km away) - www.airport.umbria.it
Pisa International Airport (about 220 Km away) - www.pisa-airport.com
Roma Fiumicino International Airport (about 230 Km away) - www.adr.it
Arriving by car
If you arrive by car, both from the North and from the South, take the Valdichiana exit from the A1 highway, which is called Autostrada del Sole. Right after the toll gate exit take the E45 freeway (slip road from Siena to Perugia) in the direction to Perugia and then take the second exit for Cortona (Cortona San Lorenzo). You will just need to follow the street signs to arrive to the SS71 road in Camucia and to continue to Cortona.
Arriving by train
Florence-Rome railway line, Terontola or Camucia train stations
Terontola-Perugia-Assisi-Terni railway line, Terontola train station
Once arrived at these train stations, you can easily go to Cortona by taxi or by bus.
For further information about the timetable and the ticket prices, look up the
National Railway Company “Ferrovie dello Stato” website -
http://www.fsitaliane.it/homepage_en.html.
TIEMME bus service
If you arrive by train to Camucia, Terontola, Arezzo or Castiglion Fiorentino train stations, you can go to Cortona taking advantage of "La Ferroviaria Italiana Spa Arezzo" bus service. For up-to-date information about the timetable and the ticket prices, look up the company website www.lfi.it (unfortunatelly, only in Italian).