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Profiles

Lago di Garda and surrounding area: Mantova, Gardaland, Safari Park:
Lake Garda and surrounding areaLake Garda, in northern Italy, is known for its crystal clear water. At the south end, the town of Sirmione is dominated by the Rocca Scaligera, a fortress with harbor views. The nearby Grotte di Catullo archaeological site includes a Roman villa. On the lake's western shore, in Gardone Riviera, is Il Vittoriale degli...

Tips For Trips

Casentino: A wild and spiritual land, Stia, Poppi:
The Casentino, a wild and spiritual landSurrounded by mountains and by green woods, the Casentino valley is located in the eastern part of Tuscany, east of Florence and north of Arezzo. The valley develops close between the Pratomagno mountains and the Apennines which mark the border with Emilia Romagna. At the centre flows the Arno river that rise...

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My Cortona

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Bravio delle Botte: Montepulciano:
The last Sunday in August in Montepulciano is reserved for the ‘Bravio delle Botti’. It’s a challenge carried out among the eight contrade of Montepulciano that compèred for a painted banner in a 1800m race in which they push an 80kg barrel uphill.The route is always established before time and starting positions are designated by a morning ...

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My Cortona

Moments

Siena - A quick guide: Palio di Siena:
SienaStarting from the 12th century, the city of Siena was considered a free municipality and incorporated surrounding territories and small villages. From this moment on, great economic development began which lasted for a long time and which made Siena an important and prestigious city. It was in this period that the struggles against Florence be...

Tips For Trips

Iginio Massari Pasticceria: Florence:
Galleria Iginio Massari, Florencehttps://www.iginiomassari.it/pages/galleria-iginio-massari-firenzeTo keep your energy levels high, why not indulge in one of the best pastries in Florence.The Galleria Iginio Massari is located on Via dei Vecchietti and is one of the pastry shops of the ‘Masterchef’ Iginio MassariIginio Massari’s talent, passi...

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My Cortona

Tips For Trips

Odeon Cinema, Theatre, Bookshop: Florence:
Giunti Odeon Libreria e Cinema:www.giuntiodeon.comThe Odeon cinema was one of the most beautiful cinemas of Florence. It was built around 1457  in one of the most important Palazzo’s of Florence, the Palazzo dello Strozzino. It was designed by Filippo Bruncelleschi with the help of Michelozzo. in 1904, the Palazzo was bought by the...

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My Cortona

Tips For Trips

Museo Marino Marini: Florence:
Museo Marino Marinihttps://museomarinomarini.itThe Marino Marini museum mixes both old and new architecture and paintings.The collection is dedicated to the modern Italian artist from Pistoia who is best known for his large horse and knight-themed sculptures.The museum is located within a deconsecrated church where modern renovations have allowed f...

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My Cortona

Tips For Trips

Palazzo Strozzi: Anselm Kiefer Exhibition:
Anselm Kiefer ‘The Fallen Angel’Everyday 10am - 8pm (11pm on Thursday) until 21st JulyPalazzo StrozziUntil the 21st July 2024 take a visit to the Palazzo Strozzi, www.palazzostrozzi.org where a major exhibition, ‘The Fallen Angel’, is taking place.It is an exhibition of one of the greatest masters of the 20th and 21st century, Anselm Kiefer...

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My Cortona

Tips For Trips

Casa Trend: Camucia:
Casa Trend, Camucia, CortonaA niche, design and home accessories shop in a corner of Camucia, where it is worth stopping to enrich your home with quality and design objects.I'm sure that some of those who will receive this email have never seen this shop and, perhaps, have driven to Arezzo to find tasty and designer objects for their home... well, ...

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My Cortona

Local

Battle of Scannagallo : Pozzo della Chiana:
Battle of ScannagalloRe - enactment in Pozzo della Chiana 4th - 5th June 2024In the later part of May or early June, there is a reenactment of an important battle which occurred during the ‘War of Italy’ in the area of Pozzo della Chiana.This historically important but bloody battle happened in 1554 between Siena and Florence, with the concludi...

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My Cortona

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Archidado Joust: Medieval Festival:
LA GIOSTRA DELL’ARCHIDADO, Cortona June 1st - 9th The Archidado Joust, officially created in 1397 to celebrate the wedding of the Lord of Cortona and a noble woman from Siena, is a historical event in which the different quarters of the town compete in a crossbow tournament. Costume parades, typical medieval dinners, flag throwers and fire-e...

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My Cortona

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Elba and the GTE: Nature and Culture:
Elba and the Grande Travesrata Elbana (GTE)Elba:It’s an island that encapsulates charm, has extensive history as it was the place of Napoleons’s first exile and where the sea meets nature.It’s the third largest of the Italian islands and has a geology which gives this islands its beauty and uniquenessElba’s terrain is quite varied, from the...

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My Cortona

Tips For Trips

Todi: Past to Present:
The city of Todi is located in the Umbria region and belongs to the province of Perugia.Today, it has 15,000 inhabitants. From Cortona, it takes about an hour’s drive, first along the RA6 towards Perugia, then taking the SS3bis/E45 southbound. After approximately 90km, you will reach your destination.Upon arrival, it’s best to park your car in ...

Patrick & Kaat Muylle
Lichtervelde, Belgium

Local

Montecchio Castle: Step back in time:
Driving from Cortona to Arezzo, just before Castiglion Fiorentino, turning a curve and you are faced with the Castle of Montecchio! It really does appear almost like a dream.The castle was originally built in the 10th century and enlarged and fortified over the years when it was under the control of Arezzo.It’s location on a hill provided an idea...

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My Cortona

Tips For Trips

A Day Trip in Casentino: Ponte Buriano, Castiglion Fibocchi, Il Borro:
Il Ponte a Buriano A few kilometres from Arezzo we find the Buriano Bridge, a medieval architectural work which is able to sustain today’s traffic. But what really catches the eye is the structure, it’s massive arches make it look like it’s floating above the River Arno. The Buriano bridge took almost 40 years to construct, 1240 to ...

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My Cortona

Tips For Trips

Fortress in Lucignano: FAI day trips:
Again this year, the FAI (Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano) has organised it’s spring days with which villas and places, that are usually closed to the public, are open and can be viewed.This year, we went to Lucignano, to visit the cloisters of the San Francisco church which have recently been restored and with the visit we also learnt more of th...

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My Cortona

Tips For Trips

The Marble Caves of Valsora: Carrara:
I had seen a famous photo taken by Nicola Bertellotti, of the marble caves of Carrara - and when I passed closed to Carrara on my way to the Cinque Terre, I promised myself that on the return journey, I would stop and have a walk around…and so on Tuesday morning, I exited the motorway and climbed along the roads to the Alpi Apuane…a harsh envir...

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My Cortona

Tips For Trips

Cinque Terre and Portovenere: Hiking:
Located in Liguria and near the city of La Spezia, are many little colourful towns and villages that have been developed between the mountains and the sea. They really are colourful with little roads, marinas and breathtaking views.Developed along the train line, every little town has its own station and it’s the best way to visit and stay in La ...

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My Cortona

Tips For Trips

From Start to Finish: Our journey with Cortona International:
Ciao from Macon, Georgia U.S.A.! I am Emily Hinson and together with my husband Alex we would like to share our journey to becoming residents of the most wonderful place we have ever experienced, Cortona. Our journey began 30 years ago when Alex had the opportunity to attend the University of Georgia program in Cortona where he fell in love wit...

Emily and Alex Hinson

Local

ValdiChiana: Sentiero della Bonifica:
The Beauty of Valdichiana  This beautiful diverse valley lies between the provinces of Arezzo and Siena in Tuscany and stretches into Umbria and beholds many of Tuscany’s magnificent medieval towns and picturesque views. The 104km of the Valdichiana, is furrowed by the Canale Maestro della Chiana where it flows into the River Arno at the Bur...

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My Cortona

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Why SANREMO is SANREMO!!: The Italian music festival, 2024, 74th edition:
The 74th Sanremo Festival is over - for the whole of Italy and Italian people, it is an obligatory watch: 30 singers (selected from 100’s - some have been refused for 25 years but still try!) compete in the festivalThe festival is a competition but also and above all a tribute to Italian music: the singers, during 4 evenings, must sing a duet wit...

Nicola Burazzi
Foiano, Tuscany

Moments

6 Nations, Italy v England: Rugby match at Stadio Olimpico:
Tikets have been booked and plans to travel to Rome for the weekend have been made! Bag packed, funky hat included and off we go!It’s so easy and economical to travel to Rome from Cortona by train from our local train station in Terontola-Cortona, with fast intercity trains travelling every two hours and also the ‘FrecciaRossa’ being an optio...

Bianca Clark
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

The Carnival in Foiano: The oldest in Italy:
Carnival events are held every year in the city of Foiano and is one of the most famous carnivals in Italy and the oldest having been started in 1539. For 5 Sundays the city of Foiano hosts street parades and becomes a theatre to celebrate the patron of carnival, King Giocando.  The origins of the carnival festival are derived from the me...

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My Cortona

Local

A Gracious Transformation: Charles Colett describes his experience of transforming a palazzo into the discerning traveller's dream location...:
Palazzo Passerini was always conceived as a place in Cortona for the discerning traveller and not as a personal home. We (Mark Farmer & I, Charles Collett) spent the majority of three years designing, planning and curating an experience for visitors. As architects we looked at every detail but as travellers we understand how important the exper...

Charles Colett
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

PHOTOGRAPHS - HOMESICK: ALONDRA GONZALEZ REYNOSO, A UGA STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM STUDENT, SHARES HER ARTIST STATEMENT ON CORTONA...:
Alondra Gonzalez Reynoso, a student with the University of Georgia (UGA) Cortona Study abroad program, spent this last semester studying photography under the tutelage of Jeff Curto, professor of photography. A business student back in Georgia, this was the first time she had ever taken an art class. She shares with us her photographs of Cortona an...

Alondra Gonzalez Reynoso
Georgia, USA

Local

Plastic pollution & its consequences: Lucy Wood in Bahari Moja, Kenya - a community-based organization focusing on marine pollution...:
As the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3) was taking place in Nairobi, Kenya (Nov. 13-19th 2023) - in order to discuss and develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including the marine environment - Bahari Moja, a community-based organization focusing on marine pollution, was hard a...

Lucy Wood
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

Saints & Martyrdom in Rome: A somewhat macabre excursion with Patrick & Kaat Muylle to Rome's Santo Stefano Rotondo...:
This time we turn our attention to Rome! We are not however, following any beaten track; so, no Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, or St Peter's Basilica…. We do need the Colosseum however, but that's only to find our way: Just behind the Colosseum is a small street, where few tourists go: Via di Santo Stefano Rotondo. It leads us to th...

Patrick & Kaat Muylle
Lichtervelde, Belgium

Tips For Trips

CHRISTMAS EVENTS 2023 : SEE WHAT'S ON AND WHERE IN CORTONA, INCLUDING THE LIVE NATIVITY IN PETRAIA, PLUS CHRISTMAS MARKETS IN TUSCANY:
From 15 December to 7 January discover the festive atmosphere in Cortona. This year the theme is of light and reflection with many attractions, events and initiatives organised for the period. See calendar below. Not to be missed is the Live Nativity in Cortona’s Pietraia area (see times and dates below) and Luci sul Trasimeno (Lights on Lake T...

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My Cortona

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CHRISTMAS IN CORTONA: LIGHT & REFLECTION IS THE CHRISTMAS THEME FOR 2023 WITH IMAGINATIVE PROJECTIONS & INSTALLATIONS...:
This year's theme for Christmas in Cortona is Light and Reflection and as of Saturday 8th December when the Christmas lights were first turned on, the beautiful projections on the town hall and surrounding buildings have been admired by many. The large installation of mirrored cubes in Piazza Signorelli, along side wooden market stalls selling...

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My Cortona

Local

NEWS SNIPPETS - OCTOBER 2023: From Italy's choice for the Oscars to award winning cheeses & to Europe winning the Ryder cup...:
Impressive statistics as to the amount of pasta eaten across the globe and equally impressive numbers of daily visitors to the Colosseum. A cheese company in Arezzo comes home with 4 medals from a major trade event (as it did last year, so perhaps time to go do a tasting!) and 700 cultural sights across Italy being opened to the public during the m...

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My Cortona

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Chocolate & Almond Cake: A wonderful gluten free chocolate & almond cake that is easy to make and delicious...:
This has to be one of the BEST chocolate cakes out there and it's also gluten free. Eaten cold it's sublime (and I don't usually use adjectives like that!), but when slightly warmed it's like eating a chocolate soufflè which is even better than sublime - it's heavenly!!! Better still, it's also very simple to make which is just as well because I'm...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

PHOTOGRAPHS - INSIDE CORTONA: PHOTOGRAPHER JEFF CURTO SHARES A COLLECTION OF SUGGESTIVE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM INSIDE THE CITY'S WALLS...:
Photographer Jeff Curto, former Chair at the Society for Photographic Education, Professor Emeritus at the College of Dupage in Illinois and this year teaching a course for the University of Georgia's Fall programme in Cortona, has once again shared with us a series photographs - this time a selection of suggestive photos from inside Cortona town i...

Jeff Curto

Local

Matera - a history of poverty: Matera has gone from rags to riches, but the tourist boom of recent years, is perhaps somewhat voyeuristic...:
The only time Val and I visited the southern Italian region of Puglia was 17 years ago. It was in connection with research for a book about Italy’s lesser-known regions that Val was creating with the Italian cook and food journalist, Anna del Conte. It provided great copy for Anna and the most evocative subject matter for Val’s illustrations an...

Roger Jupe
London, UK

Tips For Trips

Cortona Night-Life: Cortona's busy night life, captured by a night time wildlife camera, reveals all, even a lone wolf...:
I originally thought of getting a wildlife camera to see if I could catch images of the wolves which so many people claimed to have seen in the Cortona hills and valleys but which had always eluded me. Going on walks I’d found some of their droppings (like a dog’s, but with a high concentration of undigested wild boar hairs), but I’d never ac...

Mr T
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

Guided tour of San Giovanni Valdarno: Once again Patrick & Kaat Muylle explore and share interesting details for one of their more recent trips...:
For this month's trip we visit San Giovanni Valdarno, a city of 17,000 souls, about 40 kilometers equidistant from both Florence and Arezzo. As the name implies, the city is located in the valley of the river Arno. It was built on behalf of Florence to realize an outpost. In recent history, the area has been known for the mining of lignite and the ...

Patrick & Kaat Muylle
Lichtervelde, Belgium

Tips For Trips

AREZZO-AN ALTERNATIVE TO FLORENCE?: COULD THE QUIETER, BUT BEAUTIFUL TOWN OF AREZZO BECOME THE NEW GO-TO TOWN OF TUSCANY?:
As an alternative to holidaying in Florence or Siena where waves and waves of tourists make the viewing of just about anything, if not impossible, certainly no pleasure, Peter and Juan from San Diego, California decided this year, to try out Arezzo. They were struck by its elegance, laid back easy lifestyle, its excellent selection of restaurants a...

Peter and Juan
California, USA

Tips For Trips

The importance of olive trees: Cortona's olive oil is of exceptional quality, but its production is, perhaps inevitably, on the decline...:
While the benefits of a daily spoonful of olive oil are making the headlines, the number of productive olive trees in the Cortona area are decreasing. The decline is due to a variety of reasons, but the main dynamic, is that few people these days have the time or desire to tend to their beautiful olive groves which were born from the hard toil of...

Mr T
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

NEWS SNIPPETS - JULY & AUGUST 2023: A revolution for electric cars, the benefits of olive oil, La Dolce Vita luxury train ride and more...:
A particularly interesting news item of the last two months is the breakthrough technology - born in Italy - for the recharging of electric cars. Another item, describes how a young start-up company used its initiative to deal with a Blue crab infestation. The Orient-Express introduces a new train, La Dolce Vita and once again the health benefits o...

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Palermo: An explosion of the senses...: Lea McKnoulty takes a four day trip to Palermo - a colourful, energetic and chaotic place to the extreme...:
Visit Palermo to Awaken your Senses: Nestled amongst the thrill of living my Italian dream it’s easy for complacency to creep in. Being in a place like Cortona for half the year, the rhythm of daily life is comforting. Walking the hills, strolling the streets, sipping the coffee and eating in the multitude of excellent cafes and restaurants can b...

Lea McKnoulty
Brisbane, Australia

Tips For Trips

PHOTOGRAPHS: CORTONA'S FOUR SEASONS: A SELECTION FROM CI'S HOMEPAGE SLIDER OF SCENES IN AND AROUND CORTONA THROUGH EACH OF THE SEASONS...:
Each season CI changes its home page slider with a collection of seasonal or topical photos from in and around Cortona. The slider doesn't appear on mobile phones, so we thought we'd post some of our favourite slider pics from the last few years. From Summer to Fall, from Winter to Spring. Every season has its magical moments and winter is no excep...

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My Cortona

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CORTONA PROFILES - NO. 15: IF YOU WANT TO TRY YOUR HAND AT POTTING OR GIFT A MEMBERSHIP TO SOMEONE WHO DOES, TUSCAN CLAY LAB IS THE PLACE...:
Tuscan Clay Lab, Cortona’s first pottery school and a wonderful space just off Via Nazionale, is likely set to become THE long awaited creative and cultural hub for artists in town. It was conceived by Tamara Godivier who, with three partners, set up a cooperative which allows them to pot, teach, hold events and put on exhibitions. Remember the p...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Profiles

LA CHIESA DEL CARMINE WINERY ESTATE: COUNTRY HOUSE, WORKING FARM AND WINERY, THIS IS A STUNNING DESTINATION FOR A WINE-TASTING TRIP...:
The Chiesa del Carmine winery estate with its beautiful 13th century church, is a beautiful setting for weddings and holiday rentals, but it is also a thriving working farm with olive groves, a truffle wood, pastures producing a variety of organic produce and a 6.2-hectare vineyard. The latter produces, according to Roger Jupe, some exceptional Umb...

Roger Jupe
London, UK

Tips For Trips

SIMPLE SUMMER DIPS: HOW TO ENTERTAIN UNEXPECTED SUMMER GUESTS WITH TWO DELICIOUS DIPS THAT CAN BE CREATED IN MINUTES...:
Two simple summer dips (or crostini toppings) which take less than 5 minutes to prepare. As long as you’ve got the ingredients in stock, they are ideal as appetizers for entertaining unexpected summer guests. Accompanied by a salad and some pizza in bianco, they can even make for a light meal.     CHICK-PEA AND TUNA DIP - SERVES 4 I inven...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

Summer pests - wasps and hornets: How to efficiently eliminate hornets and wasps with an eco-friendly trap harmless to bees…:
Unless we have a large hornet nest nearby (possible!) the mere quantity of hornets we’ve trapped so far this year might be an indication there are large numbers around. So, although I posted an article on Tap-Trap last year, I am re-posting it again this year.Hornets can provoke an allergic reaction which can be fatal if not treated quickly. If y...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Useful Info

PHOTOGRAPHS: POPPY COMPETITION 2023: A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS TO OUR COMPETITION CELEBRATING THE WONDERFUL POPPY FLOWER...:
Poppies are beautiful, joyous flowers that arrive in spring and endure throughout the summer, but they are also associated in many countries around the world as a symbol of remembrance for those who died in the First World War. Apparently, they were a common sight, especially on the Western Front. They flourished in the soil churned up by the fight...

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My Cortona

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NEWS SNIPPETS - JUNE 2023: From Milan to Rome to Naples: best airports in Italy, the possible ancestor of the Neapolitan pizza and more...:
Two of Italy's international airports are awarded a prize in the Best Airport Awards 2023, the discovery of Pompeii Pizza, a government IT alarm alert, where best to eat in Tuscany while on vacation and the capture of the Colosseum vandal, who was unaware of the monument's historical value...   An "ancestor of pizzza" found in a fresco recently ...

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My Cortona

Local

PHOTOGRAPHS: POPPIES: PHOTOGRAPHER JEFF CURTO SHARES A COLLECTION OF WONDERFUL POPPY PICS TAKEN WHILE TRAVELLING THROUGH ITALY...:
Photographer Jeff Curto, former Chair at the Society for Photographic Education, Professor Emeritus at College of Dupage in Illinois and this year teaching a course for the University of Georgia's Fall programme in Cortona, has once again shared with us a series photographs - this time Poppies in various forms of glory. Val d'Orcia Val d'Orcia ...

Jeff Curto

Local

How to eliminate damp and mould: Houses that are closed for long periods at a time can often suffer from issues of damp and worse still, mould! :
One of the most dispiriting experiences can be to return to your home after a long absence only to be met by the unwelcoming odour of damp. Worse still is mould, the smell of which can permeate everything and which is bad for your health and as medical research has indicated, especially your lungs. Old stone houses absorb water from the air and ...

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My Cortona

Useful Info

News Snippets - May 2023: From a new 3-day music festival in Castiglion Fiorentino to the ominous threat posed by artifical intelligence...:
Flash Festival Tuscany, a 3-day music festival held in Castiglion Fiorentino from May 18th to May 20th and now in its third year, seems to have created quite a following among the younger revelers. Despite the rain (and mud), the event was packed with 100's of young festival goers. The 9-day Cortona Comic event also seems to have been popular, spoi...

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CORTONA PROFILES: NO. 14: WRESTLED BACK FROM THE WILDERNESS, TENUTA LA SCURE IS NOW AN AGRITURISMO-RESTAURANT PARADISE...:
Happiness, is a meal served on Tenuta La Scure’s beautiful panoramic terrace, with a glass of chilled white wine (or pink or red) and a menu offering ecological, home-grown dishes – from quail’s eggs with truffles, to saffron gnocchi, to mixed roasts, to desserts of hand-picked woodland fruits with ice-cream.To call this working farm-restaura...

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My Cortona

Profiles

PECCIOLI: WHEN WASTE BECOMES ART...: AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF HOW ONE SMALL VILLAGE WAS TRANSFORMED FROM A WASTE DUMP TO AN OPEN-AIR ART DISPLAY...:
This time we took a two-hour drive from Cortona towards Peccioli, a municipality of circa 5,000 souls, located 30km north of Volterra, in the province of Pisa. This medieval village forms the surprising backdrop to numerous contemporary works of art.On entering the village one can’t help but notice this colourful, spiral-shaped footbridge - nomin...

Patrick & Kaat Muylle
Lichtervelde, Belgium

Tips For Trips

The Madonna of Vitaleta, Val d'Orcia: For 25 years, Patrick and Kaat Muylle, have made regular pilgrimages to the Chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta:
The Chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta is located in the hills of the Val d’Orcia between San Quirico d’Orcia and Pienza, and offers one of the most iconic views of Tuscany, justly declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. No wonder one can see pictures of the chapel on the front page of lots of touristic guides of Tuscany, as it is one of its symb...

Patrick & Kaat Muylle
Lichtervelde, Belgium

Tips For Trips

Photographs: Castles and hamlets: A collection of photographs of historic castles and hamlets taken with a drone by Nicola Burazzi:
Not only has CI's Nicola Burazzi mastered the art of photography, but also the drone. Useful for taking aerial shots of properties to establish their location, come the weekends he enjoys travelling around and seeing what else he can find. Here is a collection of castles and hamlets, taken with his drone, which certainly give a different perspectiv...

Nicola Burazzi
Foiano, Tuscany

Local

NEWS SNIPPETS - APRIL 2023: FROM THE ACQUISITION OF NEW CAR PARKING SPACES IN CORTONA TO NEWS OF A CURVACEOUS MERMAID IN PUGLIA...:
Social media gives people a voice for good or bad: this month it hasn't turned out too well for Italy's Ministry of Tourism with its Italy - Open to Meraviglia campaign using Botticelli's Venus as a modern day 'influencer' nor for some art students in Monopoli, Puglia, for their 'voluptuous' mermaid statue...   MONTE GINEZZO PICNIC FURNITURE S...

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My Cortona

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HOME FROM HOME: NO.2: ITALY AND KENYA ARE BOTH HOME TO LUCY WOOD. SHE SHARES SOME THOUGHTS & REFLECTIONS ON BOTH COUNTRIES..:
Lucy Wood has spent a lifetime travelling between Kenya and Italy – the former where she spent much of her childhood and adult working life – the latter where she and her Italo-Canadian-English husband, chose to ultimately raise their children. The two countries, as she says, are poles apart in almost every respect, both offering different oppo...

Lucy Wood
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

My Italian Chapter - by Lea McKnoulty: With a visceral connection to Italy going back 20 years, Lea shares some of her impressions and insights...:
Lea McKnoulty, born and raised in Australia, was in her 50’s when she realized she was living ‘everyone else’s dreams but her own’.  On her subsequent journey towards self-discovery, she wrote and illustrated a mindfulness book for children and adults, created a business around mindfulness, women and children and started hosting creative s...

Lea McKnoulty
Brisbane, Australia

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Discovering Monte San Savino: Patrick and Kaat Muylle visited Monte San Savino and share with us the happy experience...:
*Why God was wrong to live in France:  We are Kate and Patrick from Belgium. After 25 years of annual holidays in the region of Cortona we decided two years ago to buy a small holiday home there. Now we divide our time between Belgium and Italy. We love everything about Tuscany: the perfect mix of climate, food, nature, art and culture…. Som...

Patrick & Kaat Muylle
Lichtervelde, Belgium

Local

Spring Photographs : A series of beautiful photographs taken in and around Tuscany, including Cortona, by photographer Jeff Curto...:
Former Chair at the Society for Photographic Education and Professor Emeritus at College of Dupage in Illinois, Jeff Curto - photographer - has, for the past few decades, spent many a week photographing his way across Tuscany and around Italy. With a home base in Cortona, it's no surprise that this year, he will also be teaching a course at the Uni...

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My Cortona

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NEWS SNIPPETS - MARCH 2023: WHILE RESEARCHING ARTICLES FOR THE MONTHLY BLOG, I OFTEN COME ACROSS SMALL OR USEFUL SNIPPETS OF NEWS...:
Busy month for Italy's Agricultural ministry, some good news for resident Italian Brits with UK driving licences and details of international and national flights out of Perugia this summer. Read on....PERUGIA AIRPORTDomestic and international flights for the summer season:The summer season, operational from today until 28 October 2023, includes 16...

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My Cortona

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HOME FROM HOME: NO. 1.: A new series where people with second homes in Cortona, compare the home environments in which they live...:
Home from Home: a new series where we ask people with second homes in Cortona, to take a look at the home environments in which they live and explore the differences and/or similarities between the two. We kick off with writer Roger Jupe who shares his time between London and the mountains above Cortona with his wife, artist Val Archer. VIVA LA DI...

Roger Jupe
London, UK

Local

BEST CORTONA PHOTOGRAPHS OF 2022: WE PUT OUT A REQUEST FOR PEOPLE TO SEND IN THEIR BEST OR FAVOURITE PHOTOS OF 2022. THIS IS THE RESULT...:
  Photography: The art of capturing an expression, an event, an action, an emotion, the essence of a place. To all those who contributed their best or favourite photos of 2022, thank you so much. It makes really great viewing and covers just about most corners of Cortona. (We'll have to do it again...so bear that in mind as you wander around to...

Team
My Cortona

Local

TRIP DIARIES - NO.1 : SUE AND RICHARD CAREY SHARE A WEEK IN CORTONA IN WHICH THEY MORPH FROM VISITORS TO HOME OWNERS...:
We first visited Cortona in 2017 whilst on a four-month tour of Spain, France and Italy in our motorhome. My sister had recently bought an apartment in Cortona after she had completely fallen in love with it and couldn’t wait to share it with us. Those first 5 days of our visit left a lasting impression and we knew we had to return. After four ...

Sue & Richard Carey
Herts, UK

Local

DO YOU HAVE SECOND HOME INSURANCE?: AND IF YOU DO, DO YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE COVERED FOR? MADDALENA CASUCCI PROVIDES SOME TIPS...:
Many of us pay insurance – on our cars, homes and businesses – but how many of us really believe we will be compensated in full when we need to claim? Probably very few: We all know that the (very) small print in many policies can include exclusions, limited compensation, deductibles and indemnity limits. The answer, according to Maddalena C...

Maddalena Casucci
Cortona, Tuscany

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CORTONA PROFILES - NO. 13: TOUR GUIDES BY DEFINITION NEED TO BE WELL GROUNDED IN HISTORY OF ART. VALERIA LORENZINI SHINES IN THE SUBJECT...:
Any registered tour guide, by definition, needs to be smart! The exams are excruciatingly tough. Guides are also expected - by law - to take regular courses to update themselves. Many spend days, even weeks, putting together a new itinerary and studying their destination in the minutiae.  Alison Koetser interviews Cortona tour guide, Valeria Lor...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Profiles

CORTONA EVENTS 2023: LIST OF OFFICIAL AND CONFIRMED DATES, ISSUED BY CORTONA'S COMUNE, FOR THE MAJOR EVENTS OF 2023. :
  Cortona’s comune has now released official dates for its major events for 2023. (We are making progress!) There wasn't a great deal of info to go with them, but where possible we have researched the event, to give a bit of added info. More events may be added, but the following are all confirmed.We will up-date the calendar as and when we ...

Team
My Cortona

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COMFORT RECIPES - NO. 3: Bob Delonti was raised on Italian food and learned many recipes from his mother. This is his favourite...:
As the fall season comes to an end, with winter knocking on the door, I can’t help but think about my mother’s cooking and the smells that filled my childhood home. She made many wonderful dishes but one we enjoyed on many a cold evening was her Pasta e fagioli. I’ve tried my best to replicate her recipe with an understanding of the time res...

Robert Delonti
California, USA

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COMFORT RECIPES - NO. 2: COMFORT FOODS ARE AN 'EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE' MOST OF US KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT. GLENN LEWIS SHARES HIS...:
There are two categories for comfort food: one that makes you comfortably numb, and another that simply makes you numbly comfortable. I am sharing a recipe for each type as this time of year requires all the comfort we can create. There are few things better at taking the edge off than an aperitivo and when it comes to aperitivi, I find it is re...

Glenn Lewis
Amsterdam, Netherlands

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IN AND AROUND VENICE: A FULL ITINERARY WITH THE RIGHT MIX OF FUN AND CULTURE CAN MAKE A WEEKEND BREAK WITH THE KIDS A GREAT EXPERIENCE...:
Nicola Burazzi enjoys weekend breaks with his daughter Bianca which provide the right mix of culture and entertainment.  His last trip took him to Venice where he stayed just outside of Mira - on the Riviera del Brenta - midway between Padua and Venice. This is a slightly more economic option to staying in the centre of Venice and definitely a way...

Nicola Burazzi
Foiano, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

CORTONA PROFILES - NO. 12: NO. 1 IN ITALY FOR SUCCULENTS AND CACTI, GIROMAGI GROW & SHOW THEIR PLANTS IN SPECTACULAR SETTINGS...:
Step into Giromagi and you find yourself in the most wonderful world of exotic cactuses and succulent plants exhibited amongst vibrant colours and textures. Gianni, Romano, Marcello, Giulio – the four brothers behind this inspirational venture – bring to the Val di Chiana a totally new experience. Their father’s love of cactuses saw him se...

Lucy Wood
Cortona, Tuscany

Profiles

BEST RESTAURANTS IN TUSCANY: FOOD BUFFS! A LIST OF MICHELIN STARRED & BIB GOURMAND AWARDED RESTAURANTS IN TUSCANY 2023...:
This year the Michelin 2023 guide awarded Bib Gourmands to 4 osterie in the province of Arezzo, one of which is Cortona’s very own La Bucaccia! We have compiled (below) a list of all 25 restaurants with Bib Gourmands in Tuscany, as well as a list of all the starred Michelin restaurants in Tuscany, of which there are an impressive 41. Bib...

Team
My Cortona

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ARE YOU AN AUTUMN PERSON?: COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY HAS BECOME BIG BUSINESS OVER THE YEARS! HERE ARE SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT AUTUMN COLOURS...:
There is no colour without light and there is nothing that can beat natural sunlight for effect when it comes to Autumn. This year, like last year, we enjoyed blue skies and beautiful sunshine until mid-November, rendering even the olive harvest – usually accompanied by bitter winds from the north - a pleasurable experience.  Even now, despite...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

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COMFORT RECIPES - NO. 1: WITH WINTER ON ITS WAY, WE HAVE ASKED SOME PEOPLE TO SHARE, THEIR FAVOURITE COMFORT RECIPES...:
I was first introduced to moussaka, a layered Middle Eastern casserole, at a dinner party in San Francisco in the ’60s. I was young, single, a hippie, and unaccustomed to being invited to sit-down dinners. When I arrived at the Haight Ashbury address, the aromas in the house were simply divine—meaty and exotic, comforting and inviting, warm and...

Sally Uhlmann
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

CORTONA PROFILES - NO. 11: GINO MATTRASSI, FURNITURE RESTORER AND DEALER, IS ALSO OWNER OF TERONTOLA'S SECOND-HAND MARKET...:
Excited at the prospect of finding novel and unusual fixtures and furnishings for our new home extension, I headed off to Gino Mattrassi’s mercatino dell’usato (secondhand market), in Terontola. It’s a treasure trove of sorts and Gino is a fountain of inspiration, with a mental archive of where everything is, within his enormous, stuffed-to-t...

Lucy Wood
Cortona, Tuscany

Profiles

UNDER A TUSCAN KNIFE?: JIM McGINLEY' HAS NOTHING BUT PRAISE FOR CORTONA'S HEALTH SYSTEM AFTER UNDERGOING SURGERY....:
When considering a move to another country on a permanent basis, or even when considering the purchase of a second home in which to spend a substantial part of the year, the availability, reliability, and quality of essential services is always a key factor.Perhaps the most important service to be considered is the quality of the local health servi...

Jim McGinley
Glasgow, UK

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LAST WILL & TESTAMENTS: EVEN AS A NON-RESIDENT, ITALIAN INHERITANCE LAWS APPLY TO ANY PROPERTY YOU MAY OWN IN ITALY...:
Legacy planning for my Italian home: So, you are thinking of buying property in Italy, perhaps a Tuscan villa or hill town apartment.  Maybe you have already taken the plunge and are living ‘La Dolce Vita’.  For some, this is not just a dream, as a growing number of foreigners own property “Under the Tuscan Sun”.  As you can imagine ther...

S.Gorman - A.Holleran
Norwell, MA, USA

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CORTONA PROFILES - NO. 10: We are spoilt for choice in Cortona between so many fine restaurants, but Organika would seem to excel...:
Throughout our travels to every region in Italy (except one), I have found some towns to be immediately captivating.  And within minutes of our first visit, maybe 20 years ago, Cortona captured my heart.  It’s a place where ancient meets modern and blends in a most enchanting way.  The people here and the comune rightly cherish the...

Karen Farabee
Texas, USA

Profiles

Il Forte di Belvedere: If you're planning an itinerary of things to see in Florence, Nicola strongly recommends you add Belvedere Forte...:
Should you be planning a stay in Florence, or even a day trip, one of the sights well worth visiting according to Nicola, is Il Forte Belvedere. The view from the fort is incomparable, with Florence laid out before you and villas and castles immersed in the countryside, behind you.In front - Florence by nightBehind - the Florentine countryside dott...

Nicola Burazzi
Foiano, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

Tips for hunting and cooking porcini: Porcini, so called the King of mushrooms, have a delicious nutty flavour and add richness and depth to any dish...:
It’s hard to cultivate porcini mushrooms, so fresh ones, are a very prized seasonal food. In northern Italy and Eastern Europe weather conditions tend to be more conducive to their growth which explains how they end up even in supermarkets, but the best porcini – full of flavour - are those freshly picked by local fungaioli who, it is said, wil...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

SICILY 2 - A GASTRONOMIC GUIDE: BOTH REBECCA AND HER HUSBAND ARE KEEN COOKS, SO NO SURPRISE AT THEIR DELIGHT IN DISCOVERING SICILIAN CUISINE...:
This second installment of our trip to Sicily focuses on its gastronomy: While we were in Palermo, we decided to explore the various markets, starting with the Mercato Del Capo which proved to have many choices in the way of typical Sicilian delicacies. The Palermo markets have been credited with being the place where street food originated. While ...

Rebecca Ghezzi
Cortona, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

INCOME FROM SUMMER RENTALS: SEASONAL RENTALS WILL GENERALLY COVER OVERHEADS, BUT IF YOU WANT TO ENSURE AN INCOME, AN INVESTMENT IS REQUIRED...:
Many people buying a property, do so with the intention of renting it out, at least to cover their overheads. This is feasible, but there are significant expenses attached. Ideally, these expenses should be calculated before purchasing. They are fundamental to renting out well and can make the difference between your property being a liability or a...

Team
My Cortona

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ENERGY SAVING TIPS & DEVICES: SOME SIMPLE TIPS TO REDUCE ONE'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND A FEW GADGETS TO HELP YOU CONTROL IT...:
Should you see gloomy instead of sunny faces, when walking into any one of Cortona’s bars and restaurants, don’t be surprised, the energy crisis is hitting the sector hard. A bar spending around E.2,300 for 10,031 kWh in July 2021 is now spending E.6,950 for the same consumption. An unsustainable figure, especially when one considers that domes...

Team
My Cortona

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CORTONA PROFILES - NO.9: AL TOCCO IS A RESTAURANT WITH A DIFFERENCE! LUCY WOOD INTERVIEWS THE TEAM WITH A DREAM THAT HAS COME TO FRUITION...:
‘Al Tocco’ in Tuscan dialect refers to the hour after noon and after midnight.  It also denotes something special (extravagant or even a little crazy) and quality, as in the round hats worn by judges, lawyers and university professors on important occasions. So, it comes as no surprise that ‘Al Tocco’, in Cortona’s via Benedetti no. ...

Lucy Wood
Cortona, Tuscany

Profiles

Sicily - more than a day trip: A family reunion in Sicily turned into a wonderful experience for Rebecca Ghezzi and her family...:
Although once you get to Cortona, you very well may want to stay put, there are many places that are very accessible and make a great mini vacation. It seems a world away from Tuscany, but recently we travelled to Palermo in Sicily and found it was not as difficult as we thought. From Cortona, there are flights available from Perugia, Florence and...

Rebecca Ghezzi
Cortona, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

Utilizing a bountiful harvest: Sally Uhlmann does it again with a wonderful selection of colourful and tasty cheap and cheerful dishes...:
It’s that time of year when Cortona vegetable gardens are producing such an abundance that it can be baffling to figure out ways to utilize it all. Between hot summer days, guests, and a desire to keep things simple, it’s a challenge. Hopefully these recipes will inspire, and jumpstart your thinking of all the scrumptious possibilities. Zucchin...

Sally Uhlmann
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

Summer in Cortona: A SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS CAPTURING THE ESSENCE AND VIBRANCE OF SUMMERTIME IN CORTONA...:
Summer in Cortona is not something one tires of easily. I’ve done 38 of them now, so reckon I am able to make a fair judgement!What’s wonderful about this time of year, especially when living in a town like Cortona, are the friends and family who migrate to your door; for many it is has become an annual pilgrimage. Cortona does that to you (as ...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

BEACHSIDE AT PORTONOVO: situated in the Parco Regionale Naturale del Conero, Portonovo is just a 2 and a half hour drive from Cortona...:
Portonovo is a tranquil beach resort on the Adriatic coast, just a few kilometres south of Ancona and situated in the Parco Regionale Naturale del Conero. It is a 2 ½ hour drive from Cortona with the opportunity to stop over in some delightful spots to break up the journey. We took a very roundabout route and took in Città di Castello, Assisi and...

Glenn Lewis
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Tips For Trips

MID-SUMMER WOES: IS YOUR SUMMER PLAGUED BY HORSEFLIES, WASPS AND HORNETS? IF SO, CHECK OUT TAP TRAP, A SIMPLE, CHEAP & GREAT DEVICE.:
Unfortunately for the mosquitoes who plague us during the summer, there are many sprays and devices to keep them at bay, but to date there has been little on the market to effectively ward off hornets, wasps, horseflies and the insects that can damage orchards and vegetable gardens. Tap-Trap is the simplest and oldest of concepts used by generat...

Team
My Cortona

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A MID-SUMMER GARDEN: BEES, BUGS AND BUTTERFLIES WOULD INDICATE A HEALTHY BIODIVERSE ENVIRONMENT - HERE IN CORTONA GARDENS ARE A-BUZZ!:
Ever been on an insect safari? Well, Mid-summer in Cortona can’t be far off the mark.  All you need do is watch a lavender bush (or a bed of marigolds) for an amazing display of hummingbird hawk-moths, hover bees, honey bees, bumble bees and butterflies, including the beautiful swallow-tail butterfly.Swallow tail butterflySwallow tail butter...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

CORTONA PROFILES - NO.8: Dave Lucado has made Cortona his adoptive home. By joining the Trasimeno Big Band his life was further enriched...:
For me, living in Cortona has meant enjoying the refreshingly different culture, community, cuisine and natural beauty.  But after a while, I realised that I missed some of the things I’d left behind in my previous life, most notably TexMex and playing music.  I’m a trombone player and I’ve performed in some form or fashion for over 50 ye...

David Lucado
Cortona, Tuscany

Profiles

Mammuth Jazz Festival 2022: Starting in Cortona on July 5th the festival extends to September 2nd with performances across the Val di Chiana...:
Mammut Jazz Festival – 5th July – 2nd September 2022:  From 5th-8th July, Cortona sets the scene debuting the third edition of Mammut Jazz Festival, 2 months of events, concerts and workshops of unadulterated, improvised, jazz-based cultural immersion to be enjoyed throughout the Val di Chiana. Originating in April 2017 with the Notte Bia...

Lucy Wood
Cortona, Tuscany

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CORTONA PROFILES - NO. 7: Works by Clelia Tondini, artist and ceramicist, can be found at Semi D'Arte and in her workshop in via Guelfa...:
Clelia Tondini, ceramic artist, clearly has the most enticing spaces in Cortona, and that is no easy feat. Many of her works are on display in Semi d’Arte in Cortona’s central Piazza della Repubblica, but her workshop-cum-gallery half way down (or up!) via Guelfa – is truly a treasure trove of her works: make sure to take a breath before you ...

Lucy Wood
Cortona, Tuscany

Profiles

SEASONAL RECIPES: NO 2: Yet again Sally Uhlmann comes up trumps with quick and simple ideas for satisfying guests' appetites...:
Wine and Nibbles, Into the Night: The “Season” in Cortona has arrived, marked by the return of those who leave for part of the year, house guests, and friends who pass through to share an afternoon. The longer days and warmer temperatures encourage us to dine alfresco, enjoying the views and languid hours of comradery. It is not unusual to bump...

Sally Uhlmann
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

Cortona's Medieval Month 2022: Marie Lardino has Italian roots, but she never expected to experience the lifestyle of her ancestors in real time..:
Experiences of a lifetime don’t come along very often. So when I received an invitation from a neighbour, Anna Costantini, to participate in Cortona’s Medieval Archidado festival, it was an exciting moment. The way I saw it, I already get a chance to live among Cortona’s preserved architectural and artistic history. This time, I saw it as a...

Marie Lardino
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

Day trip to Passignano: A trip to Passignano, on the shores of Lake Trasimeno, is sure to re-charge low batteries....:
A trip to Passignano, on the northern shore of Lake Trasimeno – Italy’s fourth largest lake - makes for a great outing for both young and old. Whether you make it a half day trip - combined perhaps with its weekly Friday market – or a day trip combined with a ferry ride over to Isola Maggiore, it will give you a complete change of scenery and...

Team
My Cortona

Tips For Trips

Cortona in Bloom: With town and countryside a riot of colour, we couldn’t help but take a series of photos for our blog...:
It’s that time of year again! Splashes of vibrant colour everywhere: Red poppies and wild flowers adorn the olive groves and hillsides.The wisteria and wild rose bushes are in full flower. Everything is busy and buzzing: in the countryside the constant hum of bees, insects, tractors and mowers.  In the town, the chatter of spring voices, the...

Team
My Cortona

Local

CORTONA PROFILES - NO. 6: Famous for his wild boar sculptures, there is a lot more to Antonio Massarutto than simply creating works of art...:
It’s no coincidence that sculptor/designer Antonio Massarutto was celebrating World Earth Day – April 22nd – preparing a land-art project in North Macedonia because ‘Art as Nature’ or ‘Nature as Art’, could not be a more apt juxtaposition of his work.Originating from Pordenone (in Friuli Venezia Giulia), he attended both the Cordenons...

Lucy Wood
Cortona, Tuscany

Profiles

Enabling mobility in Italy: Issues of mobility can pose a problem when holidaying. Here are a few tips if you are travelling to Italy.:
After 2 years absence, my parents are set to make what was – pre-covid – their annual 6-week pilgrimage to Cortona.  At 88 and 85 years old, neither of them are spring chickens, making this return visit something of a challenge. With the help of my eldest sister, a Brexit card was procured for my father, an EEA health card for both parents,...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

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Looking to retire in Italy?: We took a look at the elective residency visa for which, if you have deep pockets, you may be applicable...:
  The concept of the Italian Elective Residency visa is (very basically) for well-heeled, retired, non-EEA nationals to acquire permanent residency in Italy, as long as they don’t work in the country and have more than sufficient means to support themselves.  It would seem that the complexity in applying for it depends on the country in whi...

Team
My Cortona

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Hiking the Via Lauretana : Nick Kelly, accompanied by friend Brendan, entertainingly documents his 5 day walk from Siena to Cortona...:
Owing to COVID travel restrictions, I’d been deprived of the chance to visit our family’s little corner of Tuscan heaven at the foot of the hill of Cortona for nearly two years. I’d also long been envious of those energetic Camino-goers who Instagram their way across swathes of Northern Spain. When I finally found a 7-night window in October ...

Nick Kelly, Dublin, Ireland

Tips For Trips

SEASONAL RECIPES: NO 1: IT SEEMED APT TO INVITE SALLY UHLMANN, AUTHOR OF JUST COOK WITH SALLY, TO SHARE SOME EASY SEASONAL RECIPES...:
Bring on the Favas! Italian Springs are glorious between the wild poppies and yellow flowers dotting the meadows, trees leafing out, longer sun-filled days, and the bounty of produce suddenly available in the markets. Fava beans are a harbinger of Spring, making their appearance mid-March into May. They are one of the most ancient cultivated plants...

Sally Uhlmann
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

CORTONA PROFILES - NO. 5: Marie Lardino has dedicated much of her life to education, but since retiring she has returned to her first love...:
Marie Lardino, seems like one of those gifted achievers who has sailed through life without a cloud.  She is a small dynamo of energy, intellect, humour and quirkiness. It is only when you talk with her, that you discern the strength and discipline she must have applied as a young woman, not only to renounce her “first love” of art, but to w...

Team
My Cortona

Profiles

Spring moments in the UK: The evolution of spring during my 3 week stay in the UK provided a brief and welcome distraction from the news...:
I arrived in the UK on the 18th of February. The day of the tempest. Blowing into Gatwick was 'an experience'. Arriving in Nutbourne, the tiny little village where my parents live in West Sussex, trees lay strewn everywhere and the wind howled. It rained for my first three days, but I was in self-isolation in a cute apartment with very poor interne...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

ROAD TRIP TO PUGLIA: Part 2: In the second part of Sally Uhlmann's discovery of Puglia she stays in Ostuni, Lecce and Matera... :
A quick 45-minute drive from Polignano al Mare brought us to Ostuni, known as the White City due to the old town’s plaster buildings painted uniformly stark white. This is a picturesque town meant for wandering. We rented a two-bedroom apartment, 800s Home Luxury, on a quiet street with nearby free parking and a brisk five-minute walk to the t...

Sally Uhlmann
Cortona, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

Alternative energy solutions : Harnessing the sun's energy for personal use will save you money in the long-term and give you energy independence:
When we think of a clean and economic source of energy, the first thing that comes to mind is the sun. The sun provides us with more energy than we could possibly use and yet we do not use it enough. This article will explain, in simple terms, what solar panels consist of, the different kinds there are, how much they cost and if they do indeed h...

Team
My Cortona

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CORTONA PROFILES - NO. 4: Examples of Walter Venturini's artwork can be found in private homes and many of Cortona's bars and restaurants...:
Walter Venturini is well known in Cortona not only for his art and restoration works, but also for his exceptional skills in trompe-l’oeil. From detailed landscapes, to windows with a view (where there are none!), he uses his art to trick the eye into seeing space, light and 3D depth that compliment an interior and more often than not, seem to ad...

Lucy Wood
Cortona, Tuscany

Profiles

Winter sunsets in Cortona: Blue sky days usually mean a beautiful sunset. It's well worth taking time out to watch these winter displays...:
From the mountains to the valley floor, Cortona’s winter sunsets are giant displays of colour that are spectacular to witness.  They are more or less the only displays of colour during the coldest winter months - unless you’re up with the birds and like to watch the sunrise as well!What I love most is the reddish hue that bathes everything...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

ROAD TRIP TO PUGLIA: Part 1: Sally Uhlmann catalogues the historical, cultural and culinary richness of this fascinating part of Italy...:
Puglia’s Siren Song: “Puglia’s the hot new spot,” a friend proclaimed while dining under the eaves of my porch in Cortona. In the fall of 2020, I purchased a second home in the very heart of Tuscany. By the summer of 2021, it’s like home. Over leisurely meals, my recently acquired expat friends regaled me with stories of their jaunts thro...

Sally Uhlmann
Cortona, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

Bright side to a stressful story: A multi-lingual medical association based in Siena and serving S.E Tuscany is good news for our area...:
Coming to Cortona on holiday?  Don’t speak Italian? Worried about what to do if you need to fill an urgent prescription, or feel unwell, or contract Covid?  Then check out these guys: www.medyca.it.  Based in Siena, they are registered doctors offering house calls where necessary and a multi-lingual service for just such happenings...

Team
My Cortona

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CORTONA PROFILES - NO. 3: The combination of an exceptional olive oil and a unique balsamic vinegar has won L'Arte dell'Olivo numerous awards:
In 2005, about 6 months after Tania and her husband Keith von Barkenhagen moved to Cortona, they experienced their first olive harvest.  That moment would change how they looked at olive oil forever.  The freshly pressed extra virgin olive oil they tasted at the mill was so completely different to any olive oil they had used in the past that i...

Team
My Cortona

Profiles

A weekend at Genova: Genova's harbour area is the perfect destination for a weekend trip away with the whole family...:
If you like the idea of a weekend getaway, especially somewhere that will also appeal to young children, then Genova comes highly recommended by CI’S Nicola Burazzi who took his daughter on a weekend trip to see the aquarium, the largest in Italy and one of the largest in Europe.  The journey is a good 3-4 hours drive from Cortona (275kms), ...

Nicola Burazzi
Foiano, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

Properties bought in 2021 - an insight: Here are some insights into what passions moved our buyers to purchase the homes they bought...s.:
The last two years have been challenging for many people, but in spite or because of Covid, the property market has been very robust. CI completed on 15 properties in 2021 alone - definitely a record - with some of the properties bought sight unseen. Fortunately, expectations were exceeded in all cases.  Here, we share some of the deciding fac...

Team
My Cortona

Local

Catching the festive moment : This year's festive decorations and shop fronts are a sight to behold. Complimenti to everyone. Magical!!:
Photographs of a festive season: wandering through Cortona since the festive lights were lit on the 27th November is a bit like living in a magical wonderland.  Pretty twinkling lights, ‘seasonal’ music, roasted chestnuts, hot spiced wine, market stalls, a merry-go-round, an ice-rink (this year with real ice!) and even a Santa’s grotto!!  A...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

A walk from Bologna to Florence: Leah Wood embarked on this week long walk, with a group of friends, during a break from her studies...:
La Via Degli Dei and the wonderful people we met: With our pockets full of taralli, almonds and dried fruit, I set off with two friends on La Via Degli Dei – the 130km hiking trail across the Apennine Mountains from Bologna to Florence. The walk usually takes between 5 to 8 days, although obviously it can take as little or as long as you want and...

Leah Simmons Wood
Cortona, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

3 MUST-HAVES FOR SELLING: PREPARING YOUR PROPERTY FOR SALE CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GOOD SALE AND NO SALE...:
We are always looking to add properties to our portfolio - this year more than ever with so many sales completed - but having these 3 requisites is a real game changer when it comes to negotiations with a buyer; it can mean the difference between making a good sale and losing a sale. Call us for a complimentary valuation to find out the market valu...

Team
My Cortona

Useful Info

European Pet Passports made easy: Brits with a fixed domicile in Italy can now apply for a European Pet Passport. Here is how...:
Great news for British pet owners who have a second home or a regular domicile in Italy: as long as you possess the necessary requisites (below), you can apply for a European Pet Passport.  It is recognised by the UK authorities and lasts a lifetime, meaning you can avoid having to apply for the UK Animal Health Certificate (AHC) every time you he...

Team
My Cortona

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Autumn Moments in Tuscany: Alive with colour, Autumn in Tuscany has to be one of the most beautiful periods of the year...:
Autumn in Tuscany: Nicola Burazzi often spends weekends visiting Cortona’s nearby towns and places of historical interest (often one and the same thing here in Tuscany!)  His recent trips – with an autumnal theme - took him from Cortona’s vineyards to Lucignano's Castello del Calcione and to Lucca (a town he is particularly fond of). Corton...

Nicola Burazzi
Foiano, Tuscany

Moments

Diary for Olive Grove Maintenance: Producing your own olive oil is done for love not money, but that first bruschetta will make it worth the effort...:
So you’ve bought your house in Tuscany and it has a whopping great olive grove out the back.  Now what?  What maintenance does it require?  Who will pick the olives? When should one harvest them? How much will the whole enterprise cost? Producing olive oil for personal consumption will, for sure, cost a whole lot more than buying e...

Lucio Corti
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

Transformation - No. 3: After an 11 month absence from Cortona, the owner of this transformed townhouse finally made it back...:
Holed up in the UK and unable to travel to Cortona since September 2020, the final stages of this town house’s transformation, was done with the owner pretty much left in the dark. Having given the Fedi team carte blanche to do whatever they saw fit – and doing little more than approve budgets as they were presented – the team wanted to surpr...

Team
My Cortona

Local

Cortona: a newcomer's guide - No.4: Sally Uhlmann offers some useful tips and trips for how to entertain guests...:
There’s a chill to the morning, the sun lazy in burning off a cloak of fog coating the plains of Valdichiana. Boo, my sweet co-pilot and dog, awakes me at 7, tail wagging, nose pressed to my face, a paw on my chest, oblivious to the shortening of the days. His internal clock is superior to mine. I glance out my second floor window at Camucia, the...

Sally Uhlmann
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

A shortfall of rain in Pergo: A long, hot and dry summer has seen 50 percent less rainfall in some areas of Cortona...a worrying situation...:
From his hillside perch above Pergo, Tommy Simmons has been recording annual rainfall, for over 40 odd years.  With temperatures soaring this summer, he watched rainclouds forming over the Esse Valley, Sepoltaglia and the Valdichiana with  increasing frustration as Pergo was bypassed.  This year he has so far recorded a 50 per cent s...

Sally Uhlmann
Cortona, Tuscany

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Private Medical Institutions : Good health is one thing you can't buy, but affordable private health care is a definite plus...:
“The greatest wealth…is health” wrote Virgil many, many moons ago, but a saying just as true today as then. We all hope to maintain good health, but while you’re travelling and especially if you take medication or have an on-going condition, it’s not a bad idea to check out what medical facilities your destination has. Fortunately for ...

Team
My Cortona

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The Fruits of Summer's end: September can be a slightly melancholy time of year, but also very beautiful and fruitful...:
The Cortona landscape is once again changing. Summer is subtly making way for Autumn. Leaves are beginning to turn russet red, grapes are almost ready for harvesting, as are the olives, sunset is a little earlier each day.Cortona - full frontalValdichiana from TorreoneOlive grove beneath Cortona at end of dayEvery season seems to have its dietary d...

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My Cortona

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A Family Re-union: After 18 months separated from my family, I finally made it to the UK despite all the confusing travel requirements:
A Family Re-union: After booking a flight to the UK, I almost gave up at the first hurdle, so complicated were all the Covid requirements the airline bombarded me with.  I just couldn’t get my head around what I was required to do, when or where. In retrospect, there was some logic to the sequence, but faced with a constant barrage of notifi...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

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Travel requirements UK - Italy: There is a sequence to follow if you are travelling from the UK to Italy or vice versa. Here is a summary...:
Since Italy has now lifted the 5 day quarantine period for UK arrivals, there will no doubt be quite a bit of movement across the channel over the next few weeks. However, having just travelled to the UK myself, I can sympathize with anyone who might consider cancelling their trip once faced with the documentation required in order to arrive at the...

Team
My Cortona

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Cortona Profiles - No.2: The Molesini family have long been a household name in Cortona, their reach has now extended across the Atlantic...:
The Molesini family, owners of both the delicatessen and wine shop in Cortona’s main square, have been fixtures in Cortona society for almost a century.   According to Marco Molesini, “…my family has been involved with the wine industry since 1937, when my grandfather Giovanni opened his first food and wine emporium.” The emporium which...

Team
My Cortona

Profiles

Cala Violina and Lago dell’Accesa: With temperatures reaching as high as 40°, Lucy Wood and family decided on a day out ... destination swim!:
Fully acknowledging that being August both roads and beaches would be populated, we set off in search of places to cool down – August has recorded some of the hottest temperatures ever. Our destinations are both in the Provincia di Grossetto:  Cala Violina is just over a two-hour drive from Cortona (110 Kms), situated between Punta Ala and F...

Lucy Wood
Cortona, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

Cortona: a New Comer's Guide - No. 3: Settling in to her new home has meant a garden redesign for Sally Uhlmann, author of Just Cook with Sally...:
I am most fortunate: I found my home.  In July 2020, I made an impromptu day trip to Cortona, having no idea my impulsive urge to visit this ancient hill town was a crucial step towards daily joy. I returned two weeks later to meet with Nicola Burazzi, at Cortona International, to view potential properties. I fell in love at first sight with m...

Sally Uhlmann
Cortona, Tuscany

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CORTONA PROFILES - NO. 1: The first DelBrenna to turn his hand to jewelry making was Giovanni DelBrenna - a Florentine count - in 1201...:
Cortona, throughout its long history, has  been the inspiration for many artistic individuals, from Henry James’ “Italian Hours” to local artisans handcrafting ‘one of a kind’ works of art and the many art students who come to study the beginnings of what we know as art today. We would like to introduce you to a wonderful combination ...

Rebecca Ghezzi
Cortona, Tuscany

Profiles

Fish take-away...Italian style!: Take-aways are often associated with fast-food, but not so in Italy where you can often pick up a three course meal:
Linguine with scampi followed by a Mediterranean fry up of prawns and calamari may not be quite what the doctor ordered, but as we all know fish can be cooked in a myriad of ways and most of it healthily!  Think Mediterranean diet – seared fillet of sea bass, sea food paella, grilled scallops, prawn kebabs….I wasn’t a big fish eater unti...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

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SUMMER IN CORTONA: SUMMER IS ONE OF CORTONA'S MOST SUGGESTIVE SEASONS ABETTED BY THE BLAZING HEAT CEASING ONLY AT NIGHT...:
Morning: Awakening to the cool of the day, revitalised, accompanied by the sounds of shutters drawn up, deliveries in arrival, shop fronts being swept, tables and chairs set out in piazzas and the aroma of fresh ground coffee and cornetti hanging in the air.Midday: Shimmering asphalt melting in the blazing heat, a haze falling across the plains aga...

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My Cortona

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Swifts - photos and facts: These beautiful birds that can bring such joy, are also amazingly resilient and agile creatures...:
I can (and do!) spend hours, watching the swifts. We probably have about 30 nesting in the walls of the house. When I sit out on the balcony they fly by within touching distance.  I felt curious about these wonderful birds who give me such immense pleasure and did some research. I’m now even more impressed.Some interesting facts about swifts...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

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Castiglione della Pescaia: A must do!: Castiglion della Pescaia is the perfect sea side town to visit if you have a young family...:
Castiglione della Pescaia is a bit like Cortona-on-the-sea with slightly less panache. It is an extremely quaint town, dating back to the Etruscans and historically a fishing port, situated between blue sea and green hills. It is just 159 km from Cortona (1hr 30 mins to 2hrs driving) and makes for a wonderful weekend break or even a day trip.The sa...

Team
My Cortona

Tips For Trips

BOOKS 2: FAVOURITE AND RECENT READS: A GREAT WAY TO RELAX AND GIVE YOURSELF A TAN IS WITH A GOOD BOOK. HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR SUMMER 2021...:
With Summer 2021 now officially arrived, what better way is there to relax than sitting under the shade of a tree or on the beach with a good read?  But often the question is what to read? Jeannie Tognola has given us a list of recent books she greatly enjoyed and her Top Ten Ever books.The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes. It's a re...

Jeannie Tognola
Oxford, UK

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A personal post-Brexit experience: My advice to any UK citizen resident in Italy is to apply ASAP for the new Carta di Soggiorno Brexit... :
I wasn’t planning on getting the new digital Carta di Soggiorno anytime soon - the deadline for doing so isn’t until December 2021 - and I have a permanent residency certificate in the meanwhile, but on visiting my local ASL to get a medical appointment, I discovered that my card had been tagged as requiring a status update. This was disco...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

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Roof tops, views and swallows: Update on Italy’s return to a cautious near-normality in the wake of a continued decline in reported Covid cases...:
Now that seven of Italy’s regions have been declared White Zones (at lowest risk) and many more – those currently in low-risk yellow zones - set to turn white over the next few weeks, the hospitality industry is finally beginning to feel that the beginning of the end has begun. In Cortona, bars, shops and restaurants are open and there is a gen...

Team
My Cortona

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Guide to obtaining a mortgage in Italy: In need of a mortgage to purchase your Italian home? Here is a summary of what is required...:
Owning property in Italy and especially Tuscany is many a person’s dream: the chance to live the good life or as Italians would say, La Dolce Vita, but if you are not a cash buyer and require a mortgage, here is some useful information about acquiring one.Italian banks are favourable to making mortgage loans to foreigners whether they are residen...

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My Cortona

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Walking the backstreets of Cortona: Meandering your way through alley ways and hidden corners of Cortona is a great way to spend an afternoon...:
Monday 17th May was one of the few sunny days we’ve had in Cortona and I felt that a walk was definitely in order. I came up with the idea of taking photos of the many window boxes and flower displays the Cortonese love to nurture, but Monday would seem to be laundry day – and despite regulations against hanging washing out to dry (in the liter...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

Guide to Renting Out Your Property: Standard procedure and a few extra tips regarding insurance and cleaning protocols 2021:
Many people who buy second homes in Italy, buy with the intention of renting it out in their absence. There is however a legal procedure to be followed. For 2021, there are also protocols to be followed: flexibility and reassurance in a sound insurance would seem to be the best advice available.Rental Guide1. By default, renting out a property in I...

Team
My Cortona

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Cortona: a New Comer’s Guide - No.2: I am just one small person occupying a place where countless others have gone, leaving their marks in stone walls..:
Cortona Life in the Time of Covid: I am writing from Amsterdam, here for a two-week visit to my apartment, after spending nearly 7 months living in Cortona during what was supposed to be a two-week visit to harvest the olives back in October 2020. I needed to check on my Dutch residence, sort through mail, confirm everything is surviving my lo...

Sally Uhlmann
Cortona, Tuscany

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Cortona's annual flower festival : Due to be held this weekend this event is definitely worth marking in your calendar for 2022!:
Cortona’s Fiera del Rame, del Fiore e del Coccio (flower, copper and earthenware fair) is always a welcome and cheerful event and usually held on the first weekend of May. It is held in Piazza Signorelli and via Casali where stalls displaying new or antique copper and earthenware products are surrounded by a riot of colour from the 1000’s of fl...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

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Lifting of travel restrictions in EU: Come mid to end June the EU commission foresees the return of European travel and Covid safe holidays...:
Although you’re missing the buds and blooms of an Italian Spring this year, promising news is emanating from the European parliament which foresees travel restrictions being relaxed over the next few months. When interviewed recently on Italy’s popular "Che Tempo Che Fa" programme, the European commissioner for internal market, Thierry Breton, ...

Team
My Cortona

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Round trip of Cortona in Spring: Cortona is turning greener everyday, with more and more blossoms and flowers appearing...:
“All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.”  A great quote, by an unknown author said to be inspired by spring (and a whole lot more, I would say!).A Spring that even this year, after 12+ months of Covid and despite the slow roll-out of vaccines across Europe, still manages to weave its magic. We miss our friends and ...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

Catching the moment - no.5: With the official start of Spring, spirits seem to be lifting. The beautiful weather we're enjoying helps...:
For those who might be feeling a little nostalgic, for those who are missing their annual spring break to Cortona and for those, in general, who know and love the town we thought you might like some photos of our favourite landmarks, including what must be one of the first poppies of the year!...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

Florence: Some fun facts!: From wine windows to the protection of Michelangelo's David, some interesting history of Florence...:
Centuries ago, the bubonic plague, otherwise known as the Black Death, swept through Europe, killing one-third of the continent’s population at the time. Originating in Asia, the disease made its way to Italy during the late Middle Ages, and spread north from there.Thus, the “wine windows,” or buchette del vino, of Tuscany. Pint-size hatches,...

Doumina Whyman
Seattle, Washington, USA

Tips For Trips

Mountain Trekking - No. 3: If you need to let off steam or burn a few calories, mountain trekking has to be one of the most satisfying ways...:
Talking from experience, a good, bracing hike can do wonders for one’s state of mind.  This spring and summer, I have set myself the goal of re-discovering the mountain walks I first made over 30 years ago.  With Spring already in the air, Sunday March 7th was the perfect day for my first hike: Blue skies, a warm sun, birds chirping in ...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

SIENA: FUN FACTS AND USEFUL TIPS : Siena is one of Tuscany’s most beautiful towns and is just 50 minutes from Cortona, making it an easy day out...:
Doumina Whyman, founder of the Enthusiastic Traveler, shares her notes on what to do and see in Siena, as well as some interesting facts on the famous Siena horse race, Il Palio which is held twice each year, on 2 July and 16 August.Obvious things to see: Siena’s Duomo. Church of Santa Caterina. San Domenico.To do: Stroll Siena’s 17 different n...

Doumina Whyman
Seattle, Washington, USA

Tips For Trips

Fly-by of flamingos over Cortona!: The greater flamingo is common to Italy and can be found in marshy, coastal regions...but a novelty for Cortona...:
It may be the first time ever that flamingos have flown over Cortona, but their change of flight path was a welcome event last week with everyone agape at the sight of these extraordinary birds - heralded by an excited hubbub of noise - which had everyone looking to the skies.Few people were able to identify them, assuming – because of the cacoph...

Team
My Cortona

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Cortona: a New Comer’s Guide - No.1: ...I bought a 400 year old farmhouse in September 2020, in walking distance of Cortona. I’ve come home...:
Why Cortona? Considering buying a home in Cortona? Or just curious what it is like to become an Ex-Pat? If so, I invite you to join me here, over the coming months, for a glimpse at my journey of settling into my new life in Cortona and Amsterdam. I’m a 71 year old American, widowed since October 2017. I consider myself a citizen of the world, wi...

Sally Uhlmann
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

BUY RIGHT. FINDING YOUR AGENCY IN ITALY: HOW TO ASCERTAIN WHICH AGENCIES ARE RIGHT FOR YOUR PERSONAL REQUISITES AND IF THEY OFFER POST SALES SERVICES...:
Not only should the house you find in Italy TICK ALL BOXES, but also the agency assisting you with the sale. If you live overseas and are thinking of buying a property in Italy, here is a guideline as to what you might ascertain from an agency before embarking on your quest. Often, just sending out an email to see what sort of reply you receive, ca...

Team
My Cortona

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TRANSFORMATIONS - NO. 2: Check out the wow factor of this open plan kitchen-living room. Second sneak preview of Cortona town house...:
The Fedi Team have done it again! In Transformations: No. 1 we showed you the ground floor makeover of this Cortona town house: the concept was to keep it simple and rustic as per tradition. In contrast, the project for the first floor was to create stylish, but functional spaces in a homely, but smart context.What was originally a cold, cheerless ...

Team
My Cortona

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Moments: 2020 vision - No.3: Doumina's 2020 reflections brought back the teachings of the Plum Village Buddhist Monastery...:
NO MUD, NO LOTUS FLOWER. My reflection during Covid. Years ago, I attended a retreat to participate in a week long seminar at the Plum Village Monastery, based on the teachings of Vietnamese philosopher Thich Nhat Hanh.  A recognized peace activist from the 1960s for his anti-war efforts, and for delivering the teachings of Engaged Buddhism to t...

Doumina Whyman
Seattle, Washington, USA

Moments

moments: 2020 vision - No.2: Glenn Lewis writes about the re-appearance of wild animals in certain habitats they had long since abandoned…:
When Alison asked me to write about something positive that 2020 brought me, I initially thought that, at best, I could manage a Haiku; 17 syllables should easily wrap up the good that 2020 brought me.Everything has stopped.Silence on the street outside.But not in my head.That silence on the streets is the absence of activities outside the house th...

Glenn Lewis
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Moments

TRANSFORMATIONS - NO. 1: ARE YOU UP FOR A RENOVATION PROJECT IN 2021? HERE IS A SNEAK PREVIEW OF A CORTONA TOWN HOUSE UNDERGOING WORKS... :
Are you up for a renovation project in 2021? If you’re one of those clever people who can see potential in sad, grim-looking homes, but don’t necessarily have the time to transform one personally, then look no further.This town centre property was bought from Cortona International in 2019 by a UK client with little time available to dedica...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

FOR RESIDENT UK NATIONALS IN ITALY: THE WITHDRAWAL AGREEMENT PROTECTS THE RIGHTS OF UK NATIONALS RESIDENT IN ITALY, BUT THERE ARE SOME CHANGES TO NOTE:
With a Brexit agreement only just reached, the finer issues are likely to be defined further down the line, but many of the fundamental aspects regarding reciprocal rights of Italian nationals in the UK and UK nationals in Italy were established back in February 2020.  The UK government website at www.gov.uk is exhaustively informative. Should...

Team
My Cortona

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Moments: 2020 VISION No. 1: With 2020 now behind us we thought it would be interesting to share people's reflections on the past year...:
In this first of a new blog series , we posed the question: Can you think of one positive way in which 2020 has changed your vision of life? Sheryl and Rob Turping, Cortona residents, share their thoughts and reflections on the past year.We are Americans who have lived in Cortona, full time, for over 20 years having chosen this community to be our ...

Sheryl and Rob Turping
Cortona, Italy

Moments

Christmas and new year restrictions: With only two people allowed per household Christmas and New Year will be more sombre events than usual....:
Red Zone restrictions will be in place across Italy as of 24th to 27th December (inclusive), 31st December to 3rd January (inclusive), and 5th to 6th January (inclusive).During this period people can leave their homes only for reasons of work, necessity and health and only within their own local municipalities (comune). They are also obliged to car...

Team
My Cortona

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INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC TRAVEL 2020: IF YOU WERE PLANNING A TRIP TO ITALY DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON, IT MAY BE BEST TO RETHINK YOUR PLANS...:
With the holiday season around the corner and Covid 19 becoming ever harder to restrain and contain, the Italian government has introduced a new hard line decree limiting movement, both internationally and domestically, as much as possible.  Here is a 2 part list with the current regulations.LIST 1 - INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS1. &n...

Team
My Cortona

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ITALIAN RESIDENCY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS: 7 THINGS YOU SHOULD PROBABLY KNOW BEFORE MAKING A DECISION:
With the Brexit deadline imminent and a ‘no deal’ scenario very possible many of our UK clients are posing the question as to whether or not to become Italian residents. Albeit that we don’t yet know what individual deal the UK might strike with Italy, here are 7 things you should probably know:In order to obtain first temporary and then perm...

Team
My Cortona

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MOMENTS: A NURSE'S DIARY 2020 no.2: In this, her second diary entry, she refers to elderly people who have had no human contact since February...:
As Autumn fades into winter, distant summer memories of Cortona continue to sustain senior nurse and frontline worker Alexia Kelly in Dublin, Ireland. In this, her second diary entry, she refers to elderly people who have had no human contact since February, the bewildering defiance of some, for Ireland’s second lockdown and the worrying prospect...

Alexia Kelly
Dublin, Eire

Moments

REMINDER: COUNCIL AND RUBBISH TAX 2020: With or without a pandemic we are still expected to pay our dues. Here is how you can do it from afar:
REMINDER: Unfortunately, it's that time of year when final payment of council and rubbish taxes are due! Council taxes are applicable to everyone who owns a second home (i.e. non resident). Rubbish taxes are applicable to both residents and non-residents.The Cortona tributary office is the best place to contact in order to find out what you owe for...

Team
My Cortona

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catching the moment - no. 4: Here are just some of our favourite dishes and ingredients caught on camera:
Cooking has always been a pastime I and my family enjoy. Traditional Italian and especially Tuscan ‘slow’ cooking is at the heart of many of our favourite dishes, but having lived in the US for many years and with international friends here in Cortona who occasionally miss ‘home-cooking’, I have learned how to create dishes from various par...

Roberto Ghezzi
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

catching the moment - no. 3: Autumn 2020 here in Cortona is aptly described by John Keats' beautiful poem:
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,  Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;Conspiring with him how to load and bless  With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,  And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;    To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells&n...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

San Gimigniano: San Gimignano made a comeback in the 19th century, when it was discovered by northern European tourists...:
About an hour's drive from Cortona, you can organize a day trip to San Gimignano; a very famous town, with a glorious history.San Gimignano was born along the Via Francigena - initially a very small village (about 1000 years ago).The trade and flow of people who travelled the road that connected Canterbury to Rome (which also passed through Lucca, ...

Nicola Burazzi
Foiano, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

MOMENTS: A NURSE'S DIARY 2020: During the worst of these times, I found great comfort in escaping mentally, almost always, to Cortona :
Covid entered our lives in the spring of 2020. The first case diagnosed in Ireland was on the 29th of February, a Saturday. We had been expecting it of course. There was a national curiosity, a fascination with this foreign virus; but once that first case was confirmed here, Covid became a frightening reality. We had all watched with horror the nig...

Alexia Kelly
Dublin, Eire

Moments

MOMENTS 2: MY CORTONA - NO. 9: Cortona...is more than the sum of its parts, more than the architecture, the setting, the winding via Nazionale...:
When I was small, I assumed that everyone’s parents packed their children into the car each summer, in a time when seatbelts were just a notion, and drove for days on end to distant countries. My father loved languages and my mother and he were both adventurers. They drove a Fiat always; every few years, a newer model, a 124, 128, then a 131 supe...

Alexia Kelly
Dublin, Eire

Moments

CATCHING THE MOMENT - NO.2: Cortona skyline: a collation of photographs catching on film the amazing spectacle of sun down:
We are sure that many of our blog followers must have eye catching photographs of their own Italian experiences ‘through the lens’: whether they are scenic shots, still life’s, portraits, days out to nearby towns and cities, the alley ways of Cortona, past Wine Dine and Shine dinners etc….we would love to post them and share them with other...

Team
My Cortona

Moments

CATCHING THE MOMENT - NO.1: I am no photographer, but these are a selection of photographs in which I was in the right place at the right time.:
Living in the mountains above Cortona, I am surrounded by nature. When I can’t sleep, I have the consolation of amazing dawns. When I go out walking, I usually have the company of at least one of my dogs and more often than not my cats. One of my dogs is a Labrador who loves any type of water whether it be a puddle or a stream. At home we have a ...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

RAPHAEL IN THE TIME OF COVID: Marking 500 years since the Renaissance artist's death the exhibition has been extended to 30th August 2020...:
Perhaps understandably Raphael would have worn a face mask to cope with the foul smells on the streets of Renaissance Italy. It was in keeping then, that Val and I should cover our noses and mouths when we ventured to Rome on a hot summers day to marvel at his artistic achievements on the 500th anniversary of his death.Self portrait of the artist 1...

Roger Jupe
London, UK

Tips For Trips

moments 2: my cortona - no.8: Our lives are so much richer because of this random adventure on which we decided to embark.:
Why Cortona ? That’s the question my husband and I have been asked since 2002 when we bought our house in Cortona. The answer is simple but also deeply imbedded into who we are. Eighteen years ago, both of us recently having left long marriages, we reunited after thirty years having first been together as high school boyfriend and girlfriend. Aft...

Susan Luther
Washington DC, USA

Moments

MOMENTS 2: MY CORTONA - NO. 7: The warmth, the outstretched arm of hospitality, the kindness that you could tell was intrinsic to a way of life...:
During our first stay in Cortona, not really knowing much about it except what we had seen in the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, we explored every corner of the town on foot, visited nearby towns beyond the walls, and visited properties for sale with the Cortona International team.During our early morning walks inside the walls, we took in the sights...

S.Gorman - A.Holleran
Norwell, MA, USA

Moments

BOOKS 1: FAVOURITE AND RECENT READS: the work of Giorgio Bassani may be less well known to those wishing to read Italian novels in english...:
Set in the northern Italian town of Ferrara before, during, and after the Second World War, The Novel of Ferrara by Giorgio Bassani brings together his six classic books, fully revised as a single volume by the author at the end of his life: Within the Walls, The Gold-Rimmed Spectacles, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, Behind the Door, The Heron...

Reg Weir
Belfast, Northern Ireland

Local

Moments 2: My Cortona - No. 6: In 1981 Cortona was a sleepy hilltop town where lazy blue bottles buzzed around single light bulbs in dark grocery :
I first visited Cortona in 1981. I was in Italy on a college art course and was to spend a month in the town.I will never forget my very first impressions of her:I still remember our approach – a fortified city dominating its hillside on a back drop of deep blue sky. The summer sun was just beginning its descent to the west of Cortona, its rays i...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

MOMENTS 2: MY CORTONA - NO. 5: It was the Renaissance painter Luca Signorelli, Cortona’s most famous son, that first brought us to the town...:
For over 30 years the painter Val Archer, my ever-knowledgeable and talented wife, guided me on journeys of discovery in Italy from Venice to Naples, Milan to Mantua, to Florence, Ravenna, Perugia and Palermo and, inevitably, to Rome. Every year we planned an intricate journey that sought out the works of great Italian artists that could still be s...

Roger Jupe
London, UK

Moments

MOMENTS 2: MY CORTONA - NO. 4: The sky was a clear blue and hills were scorched brown with the distant woodlands a dark grey-green...:
Our first visit to Tuscany was with a group of friends in the late 90s at a villa in Chianti. There was one day when we needed some “us” time, so when our friends decided to visit Volterra for the day, we opted to go visit a town on completely the other side of Tuscany. The day trip ended up being Cortona. From that first trip, two memories rem...

Glenn Lewis
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Moments

Moments 2: My Cortona - No. 3: After twenty one years of coming to Cortona, it has become more and more important to us...:
In 1999 we came to Cortona as would be buyers of a Tuscan property and indeed that is exactly what we did. We had done a few short trips and looked at a number of houses, but in the summer of that year we were renting a house for two weeks with our children and their friends in the medieval town of Poppi - over an hour's car journey away - and had ...

Jeannie Tognola
Oxford, UK

Moments

MOMENTS 2: MY CORTONA - NO. 2: Everyone is included and dinners turn into huge affairs where friendships are made over local wine...:
My first visit to Cortona was in the fall 2015. My husband had died the year before and I traveled the world with his ashes, leaving little bits in places he would have loved. Piazza Repubblica in Cortona was filled with people, tourists, locals, children. I remember it felt so warm and inviting and I immediately felt at home. The sun was setting a...

Nancy Thompson
Laguna Beach, CA, USA

Moments

MOMENTS 2: MY CORTONA - NO. 1: ...with only two hours sleep on a bench in the departure lounge, I boarded the plane for Pisa.:
Have you ever had that mad moment when you do something crazy and impulsive and It ends up adding a completely new dimension to your life? Well my moment was seventeen years ago. I was idly scanning the newspaper one morning when a box advertisement caught my eye. ‘Glorious Tuscan farmhouse for sale, set in the hills near Cortona. ‘There was so...

Countess of Harrowby
Staffordshire, UK

Moments

Urban Trekking - No. 1: Round trip from Piazza Garibaldi via Cortona's public gardens, up to Torreone, Porta Montanina and Poggio.:
About 1 hour on foot.Starting from Piazza Garibaldi, where you can enjoy a unique panoramic view of the Val di Chiana, you head off towards Cortona’s public gardens (the parterre) where most Cortonese, young and old, take their daily walks.View from Piazza GaribaldiPiazza GaribaldiAs you walk in to the gardens, you will first see the beautiful st...

Team
My Cortona

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Mountain Trekking - No. 1: Although just 12 kms from Cortona, the mountains are a world away – rugged, wild and extremely beautiful:
The mountain ranges above Cortona – Monte Sant’Egidio, Monte Castel Giudeo, Monte Ginezzo – at little more than 1000 metres above sea level – are a 15 minute drive up from Cortona. Although just 12 kms from the town, the mountains are a world away – rugged, wild and extremely beautiful.View on the way up to Monte GinezzoFrom spring throug...

Team
My Cortona

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Celebrate safely on the fourth of July: With social distancing and the unavailability of many things we will have to content ourselves....:
Its always a little strange celebrating the 4th of July outside of the United States. We all have our celebrations of independence and in the past we have found a way to mark the occasion with the Americans that were here. We have been invited to the University of Georgia celebrations many times and the past few years we have celebrated with an Ame...

Rebecca Ghezzi
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 17: Cicero 106-46BC – “If you have a garden and a library then you have everything you need.”:
Our plans to visit our house near Cortona were thrown up in the air due to the Covid 19 pandemic.Flights booked for February, Easter and June were cancelled as we entered lockdown. The disappointment was just awful but that's life I guess, you just get on with it.Thankfully Emma my wife had bought herself a present for my birthday in September…a ...

Ray Flynn
County Clare, Ireland

Moments

Pet owners - Getting away made easy: I discovered the Trusted Housesitters website some years ago… it was like regaining my freedom! :
While many of us may not take a holiday abroad this year, if you’re planning a getaway of some sort and have a pet (or a menagerie like me), take a note of this website address: www.trustedhousesitters.com.I have twice used Trusted Housesitters and both times I couldn’t have had more pleasant or more responsible people looking after our two dog...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 16: However, whilst the tide of events is troubling, unexpected pleasure can materialise from the simplest of things…:
As I write, seated in my Belfast garden, lazing in unseasonably strong spring sunshine, Heather and I are weaning ourselves from 13-weeks of lockdown isolation. I reflect that we can't yet bask in the dubious pleasure of being post-brexit, we definitely aren’t clear of the consequences of coronavirus and, with a steady stream of bad-news stories ...

Paul Clarke
Belfast, Northern Ireland

Moments

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 15: I confess that I did go out and mumble these words in the quiet of an evening. Strange words for strange times...:
We were lucky enough after our winter holiday to squeak back into our Corsican home just before lockdown. Not so lucky though that we didn't have to abandon plans to cross the Tyrrhenian Sea to our summer home in Preggio, just over the hills from Cortona.I know it was terrible for many. Not just the isolation, but the loss of friends and family bef...

Peter Brooke
Preggio, Umbria

Moments

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 14: My Lockdown Larder list of menus is now starting its 15th week and cooking has kept me both sane and occupied…:
It first hit home when my boyfriend, who was working in Switzerland, had to make a dash for the border to get back to the UK before travel restrictions were imposed.  That was back on 15th March!  Since then, the two of us have been fortunate indeed to be holed up in his thatched cottage in a beautiful little hamlet in Hampshire.As per mo...

Fiona Koetser
London, UK

Moments

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 12: My memory of this lock down will forever be intrinsically linked to these images, a poignant reminder...:
By the time Italy was in lockdown, I was already enjoying virtual travel through images received from my daughter. After busy months tour guiding throughout Italy, she was spending time out to explore Peru. A shared love of ancient history, artefacts from lost civilizations, from stone walls to vessels and more, this provided me with a wealth of in...

Sarah Miatt
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

THE CITY OF ORVIETO: Starting in Etruscan times the residents of Orvieto excavated a shadow, alternative city in the obliging tufa stone:
Orvieto, with its spectacular cathedral and memories of the days when the popes made it a favoured retreat, takes 75 minutes by car and less than an hour by train from Camucia-Cortona.The town sits on a pedestal, a sheer-cliff mesa, and looks much the same as it did 500 years ago. Its origins go back to Etruscan times when, like Cortona, it was one...

Roger Jupe
London, UK

Tips For Trips

Castello di Brolio - Gaiole in Chianti: Baron Bettino Ricasoli was an important figure for Chianti…he created the recipe for Chianti wine…:
The castle of Brolio, in Gaiole in Chianti, dominates a beautiful part of Chianti with breath-taking views over an unspoiled landscape. It is a one hour drive from Cortona.The first recorded data regarding the castle dates back to 1009. In 1141 it was acquired by the Ricasoli family of Florence (over 900 years ago!) to whom it still belongs. Over t...

Nicola Burazzi
Foiano, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 11: This year the town was completely empty. We listened to the bells ringing from inside our homes.:
Quarantine was to live over 50 days in an apartment with my wife, a 3 year-old daughter and two cats; considering that I am used to going out in the morning and returning in the evening, including at the weekends, it was not easy, especially at the beginning. I rebelled against having to justify my every move;  sometimes I refused to leave the...

Nicola Burazzi
Foiano, Tuscany

Moments

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 10: Stella arrived at 1:00 a.m. on a cold and rainy morning at the height of COVID-19 in our area...:
My son Gregory flew home from Texas in early March for spring break.  It was meant to be for one week but COVID-19 had arrived and students were told not to return to University.  Meanwhile, he had left Stella, his lop-eared pet rabbit, with her veterinarian in Texas for over 2 weeks now.  We had to get Stella home before everything ...

Jasmin Russo
Morristown, NJ, USA

Moments

CHURCHES OF CORTONA - NO. 2: The neo-Gothic church of Santa Margherita standing today, is the result of numerous interventions and alterations..:
The Church of Santa Margherita is situated above Cortona, almost at the top of the hillside, just below the Medici Fortress (Fortezza Medicea), with spectacular, dominant views out over the entire Valdichiana. The church was originally the site of a small oratory, built by the Camaldolese monks in the 11th century and dedicated to St Basil. This wa...

Team
My Cortona

Local

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 9: Hippocrates said ‘walking is man’s best medicine’ and at such an odd time, walks have certainly lifted our spirits…:
Lockdown for us has meant three generations living under the same roof. My daughter Alexa and four year old Charlie, who live a short drive from us, moved in at the start, so she could work from her computer and I could help with child care. From the bubble of our home in a beautiful part of the Oxfordshire countryside it’s been easy to forget wh...

Jeannie Tognola
Oxford, UK

Moments

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 8: And as for relaxing in a room with strangers! This was something we had never considered to be a luxury before...:
For us, physical contact with our families is still a long way off as they live on another continent. Strict lockdown ended last week, but we skipped the first "unlocked" weekend as we did not know what to expect. On the second weekend we decided to venture out and visit  a typical bier café, a real treat in Amsterdam. This was our first vent...

Glenn Lewis
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Moments

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 7: Now that we are drifting back to some semblance of normality, I feel less anxious and have been reflecting...:
I returned to the UK in early March with every intention of flying back to Cortona two weeks later as my husband, Robert had stayed behind with our two Labradors. Sadly, Covid19 got in the way and I could not return which then meant that Robert was in Italy and I was in the UK. We weighed up the risks of him remaining in Italy on his own or driving...

Caroline Brant
Lincolnshire, UK

Moments

CORTONA'S KENNELS FOR ABANDONED DOGS: The canile is one of the most joyful places I know; truly uplifting, even in the worst of weathers...:
When I was first persuaded, somewhat reluctantly, to go down to our local kennels (canile) in Ossaia, I was very worried that it would be a sad place, full of tragic, caged dogs. Thankfully my fears were unfounded. In fact the canile is one of the most joyful places I know; truly uplifting, even in the worst of weathers. The dogs enjoy a lot o...

Hazel Murray
Cortona, Tuscany

Local

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 2: I was booked on a flight to Italy in Early June which, for the last 5 months, I doubted I would be able to take...:
I live with one foot in the two worlds of America and Italy, traveling back and forth between Cortona and Southwest Virginia. It is not an easy life but recently with the Covid-19 pandemic it has gotten significantly more difficult.My solace in staying in America, far from my husband, has been the fact that I could hop on a plane any time I wanted ...

Rebecca Ghezzi
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO.5: what will most remind me of this period… will be the re-doing of the doors and façade of my shed and grotto:
One of the things I will remember from lockdown is the long hours I spent working on my garden doing many little things, but what will most remind me of this period, even many years from now, will be the re-doing of the doors and façade of my shed and grotto. I have written an epitaph in memory of the surreal moment we went through, hoping that I ...

Roberto Ghezzi
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO.4: Being quarantined for 3 months in Laguna Beach gave me a chance to slow down and reflect on my life...:
Being quarantined for 3 months in Laguna Beach gave me a chance to slow down and reflect on my life and what’s meaningful for me . My family tops the list and I am blessed beyond words . I chose 2 of my pop paintings to share . While I paint , I am in the moment and think of all my family and friends in various places around the world and send ou...

Nancy Thompson
Laguna Beach, CA, USA

Moments

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO.3: THE MOST NOTABLE CHANGE WHEN THE PANDEMIC STRUCK WAS THE UNEXPECTED ISOLATION WITH OUR TEEN DAUGHTERS (18 & 21)...:
Suddenly they were both home with no place to go, no friends to see, and no jobs. While we went to work each day it still left the four of us with a lot of time together, something not too many parents with teens usually get. While the girls both continued their school through distance learning on-line, there was plenty of downtime for them and us ...

S.Gorman - A.Holleran
Norwell, MA, USA

Moments

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO. 6: WHEN I THINK BACK ON IT OR SOMEONE ASKS ME ABOUT THE QUARANTINE, I HAVE ONLY A COUPLE OF VIVID MEMORIES...:
When something ends - be it a relationship, a job, a trip, or any other experience we can mark with a beginning and an end - it's immediately over whether we like it or not. It moves from the realm of the present into the archive of our minds, and it takes with it our ability to feel as if we can embody who we were before or during the experience. ...

Marialena Maggi
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

MOMENTS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - NO.1: THE LAST 3 MONTHS HAVE BEEN SURREAL, THE FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN, BUT EVEN IN DARK MOMENTS THERE CAN BE LIGHT...:
The idea of creating a series of special MOMENTS that took place over the last three months came to me when I suddenly realised that despite or because of the menacing threat of Covid-19 in our midst as well as the worry of its economic impact throughout the world, I had – surprisingly - experienced a number of ‘moments’ that were so beautifu...

Alison Koetser
Cortona, Tuscany

Moments

CHURCHES OF CORTONA - NO. 1: THE CHURCH OF SAN CRISTOFERO CAN BE FOUND IN THE QUIET UPPER REACHES OF CORTONA TOWN IN IL POGGIO...:
The Church of San Cristofero stands in the upper reaches of Cortona in il Poggio. It is probably the oldest church in Cortona and a plaque states that it was consecrated in 1192. In 1575 it was renovated and modified due to fire and earthquake damage. In the eighteenth-century it was altered to its current appearance. In 1960, the fourtee...

Team
My Cortona

Local

LA ROTONDA DEL PARTERRE: ALTHOUGH THE TOWN PLANNING OFFICE IS UNLIKELY TO RE-INTRODUCE HORSE RACING IT HAS ANNOUNCED THAT....:
Recently work began on the redevelopment and conservative restoration of the stone amphitheater in Cortona’s public gardens. “Il Parterre”,  together with the circular space at the entrance of the park, was designed in 1842 by the engineer Allegretti.At that time it was intended as a space for theatre shows and horse racing.Although...

Team
My Cortona

Local

THE CITY OF AREZZO : AREZZO IS THE HOME OF ANTIQUES WITH ITS MONTHLY FAIR HELD ON THE 1ST CALENDAR SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH...:
Arezzo is a beautiful city, alive, rich and relatively little known.It was once referred to as, "the city of gold", a large industrial zone with thousands of metalworking companies.Today it is changing direction and is opening up to tourism and events; it was the location for the 1999 Oscar winning film "La Vita è Bella" by Roberto Benigni.More an...

Nicola Burazzi
Foiano, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

THE CITY OF LUCCA: AN EXCEPTIONAL TOWN IN NORTHERN TUSCANY FAMOUS FOR ITS HOSTING OF AN ANNUAL SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL:
Lucca is definitely one of my favorite cities - it is the essence of Tuscany - extremely elegant and proud of its history and traditions. It is a place rich in culture, with a strong identity (sometimes even a bit snobbish).It is 2 hours and 30 minutes from Cortona by car or just over 3 hours by train with a change in Florence.Within walking distan...

Nicola Burazzi
Foiano, Tuscany

Tips For Trips

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