Eng
Ita 
Cortona Tour
The Old Town
From Porta Bifora to the cathedral of Cortona, a guided tour through picturesque narrow streets and traditional medieval houses
The guided tour of Cortona in a day begins at the top of the hill where the old town of Cortona was built and where we find the Sanctuary dedicated to the patron saint of the town, Saint Margaret (Santa Margherita), a place of pilgrimage for devout followers coming from all over the world.
After the visit to the Sanctuary, we will reach the Franciscan Hermitage of Le Celle, a place full of great mysticism and spirituality that was founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1211.
The tour will continue in the historic center of Cortona along its medieval narrow streets to get to Piazza della Repubblica, the old political and social heart of the town where we will be able to admire the magnificent Town Hall and other old buildings towering above the square.
This tour of Cortona will continue with Piazza Signorelli where we will see the imposing Palazzo Casali, the old dwelling of the noble Casali family and seat of the MAEC museum, and the theater Teatro Signorelli, dating back to the 19th century.
In the afternoon we will visit the old Church of San Francesco, which was designed and endorsed by a devout disciple of Saint Francis, Fra Elia Coppi.
From the Church of San Francesco we will move towards the Cathedral of Cortona that, notwithstanding its Renaissance appearance due to subsequent rebuilding works, was built on the remains of a Romanesque parish church dedicated to Saint Mary.
This guided tour of Cortona in a day will end at the Diocesan Museum of Cortona, where invaluable masterpieces such as the two boards with the Annunciation and the Triptych with the Virgin and Saints, both painted by Fra Angelico, are on display and a beautiful room is entirely dedicated to the works of painter Luca Signorelli, who was born and lived in Cortona.
Difficulty:
Easy (a means of transport is needed to get around in the town surroundings).
What you are going to see:
the Sanctuary of Santa Margherita, the Hermitage of Le Celle, Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza Signorelli, the Church of San Francesco, the Cathedral, the Diocesan Museum.
