Cortona is located at 35 ‘by car from Le Rime: the citadel, enclosed by a boundary wall in which Etruscan and Roman traces are still visible today, was built on a hill, which reaches about 600 meters high . This elevated position ensures an excellent view from different points of the city, which allows you to admire the beautiful landscapes of the Valdichiana , also seeing Lake Trasimeno.

The center of Cortona develops around the Piazza della Repubblica , which overlooks the Palazzo Comunale.
The city is small, but offers several interesting things to visit, including the Diocesan Museum (where there is a beautiful table of the Annunciation of Fra Angelico) and the MAEC ( Museum of the Etruscan Academy and of the City of Cortona), in which are exposed, among other things, many findings from the various Etruscan areas of the area. At the museum you can get information on visits to the Archaeological Park of Cortona.

Do not miss the visit to the beautiful Santuario di Santa Margherita , patron saint of the city, and to the Fortezza del Girifalco. Both are located on the highest point of the hill, which can easily be reached by walking, bearing in mind that the route is quite short, but all uphill. Following the path that runs along the city walls you can also enjoy beautiful views of the surroundings. The Fortress of Girifalco, built for military purposes, has undergone important changes over the centuries and is currently only partially open to visitors.

Several small shops selling handicrafts and local gastronomy can be found on the main streets of the center of Cortona. Excellent wines are produced in the area (we are also just a few kilometers from Montepulciano and Montalcino) and the wine shops are not lacking.

In the city there are different restaurants , mostly oriented towards the traditional local and Tuscan cuisine (in Valdichiana Chianina is bred, one of the most ancient and quality Italian bovine breeds).

Just outside the walls of Cortona, there is the Franciscan Hermitage Le Celle , the first convent built by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1211, where today a small community of friars lives. Over the centuries, the hermitage has undergone several renovations and extensions, during which the small cell of San Francesco has been preserved, which can still be visited today.