Beautiful Tuscan Towns to Visit
- Cortona. In the southern Tuscan province of Arezzo, Cortona is a traditional walled Etruscan town.
- Montepulciano. Located a stone's throw from Siena, Montepulciano is a feast for the senses.
- Lucca.
- Pitigliano.
- Fosdinovo.
- San Gimignano.
- Monteriggioni.
Reach Cortona by Car
Take the main high way A1 superstrada del Sole, from either directions Rome or Florence. Exit to the signposted “Bettolle” then follow the road signs to “Perugia” which will lead you on to the E45 road, and then take the second exit, signposted “Cortona San Lorenzo”.“Florence without all the crowds” is how someone once described Arezzo. Here are just four of the many reasons why a trip to Arezzo is definitely worth it. PIAZZA GRANDE – The movie Life Is Beautiful made this sprawling piazza famous, but for those who live in Arezzo the piazza has always been the heart of the city.
Best towns in Tuscany to stay
- Florence, the capital of culture.
- Pisa and the leaning tower.
- Lucca, the Renaissance town.
- Arezzo, the Etruscan town.
- Siena, as beautiful as touristy.
- Itinerary #1: base in Florence and day trips.
- Itinerary #2: Florence and Siena, to visit the south at your own pace.
From Florence to Cortona read beow. FLORENCE: take the Regionale train RE (Local train), which takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach the Camucia-Cortona train station, (the closest to Cortona only 3 km) . This Fare ticket is about 10 €.
Cortona is in the eastern part of Tuscany, very near the border of the Umbria region and Lake Trasimeno. The closest cities are Arezzo in Tuscany and Perugia in Umbria.
The distance between Florence and Cortona is 82 km. The road distance is 107.9 km.
Arezzo is about 80 kilometres southeast of Florence, a place rich in art and boasting a history that dates to Etruscan times, when it was part of the Dodecapolis, one of the 12 most important Etruscan cities. Situated along via Cassia, during the Roman era it played a crucial role and was well-known for its pottery.
The train takes about 2 hours and 25 minutes. FLORENCE: take the Regionale train RE (Local train), which takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach the Camucia-Cortona train station, (the closest to Cortona only 3 km) .
Most tourists are content to see Siena on a day trip, as it's just 35 miles south of Florence and its big-time museums. But with its cascading narrow lanes, fine central piazza, and proud sense of self, strollable Siena is easily worth a longer visit.
ROME with slow train: Take the Regionale train RE (local train) this will stop to Camucia-Cortona train station, the closest station to Cortona (3 km.) The train takes about 2 hours and 25 minutes. Single ticket fare is about 12 €.
The distance between Pisa and Cortona is 136 km. The road distance is 211.1 km.
Going from Florence to La Spezia
By train – the journey lasts approximately 2 hours and a half. From La Spezia railway station, take the 5 Terre Express train or go to the seafront in order to take the ferry boat. By car – in absence of traffic, the journey lasts approximately 1 hour and a half.Cortona (/k?ːrˈto?n?/, Italian: [korˈtoːna]) is a town and comune in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic center of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo.
Tuscany. Tuscany (/ˈt?sk?ni/ TUSK-?-nee; Italian: Toscana [toˈskaːna]) is a region in central Italy with an area of about 23,000 square kilometres (8,900 square miles) and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants (2013). The regional capital is Florence (Firenze).
In 1996, Frances Mayes published Under the Tuscan Sun, a memoir about buying, renovating and living in an abandoned villa in rural Cortona. It went to number one on the New York Times bestseller list, where it remained for over two years, and in 2003, was made into a film of the same name, starring Diane Lane.
Cortona was more likely founded by the Umbrians, a tribal group in ancient Italy, but soon taken over and enlarged by the Etruscans. The original town was settled around 3,000 years ago, some three to four hundred years before the founding of Rome.
Cortona is in the eastern part of Tuscany, very near the border of the Umbria region and Lake Trasimeno. The closest cities are Arezzo in Tuscany and Perugia in Umbria.
Tuscany (/ˈt?sk?ni/ TUSK-?-nee; Italian: Toscana [toˈskaːna]) is a region in central Italy with an area of about 23,000 square kilometres (8,900 square miles) and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants (2013). The regional capital is Florence (Firenze).
