One of the things we’ve been enjoying most about our current location is the altitude. Cortona is a hill town, and we are at the very top of this particular hill town. The views to the valley below are spectacular, especially at sunrise and sunset. Larry went out one recent morning to capture some of the magical morning golden hour.

Morning mist across the valley

Sunlight on the hillside cottage below

Morning sunlight on the olive trees

Sunny hillside

Serene

Looking down on the town

The Etruscan wall

Some of our neighbors

The monastery down the road

Later in the day we decided to take a long walk around the other side of the hill, giving us a view of the valley on the other side, gradually descending and then spitting us out at the public park at the bottom of the town. The slowly sloping street is lined with tall, straight cyprus trees planted in honor of those young men from Cortona who died in World War I. One of the things I love the most about Tuscany (and Provence – they’re very similar in climate) is the vegetation. I love the silver-green leaves and gnarly trunks of the olive trees and the tall, dark, majestic cyprus trees, who seem to be standing watch over their domain wherever they are planted. This road also takes us past the real Bramasole (not the one used for the movie), Frances Mayes’ Tuscan home. It is a striking house with a lot of character. I especially like the varied coloring of the stucco. I’ve taken this same walk many times while we’ve been staying in Cortona and love every inch of it. It’s serene, peaceful, and beautiful.

The Etruscan Wall and the old city gate that we drive through to get home

Cortona and the valley below

The Val di Chiana below

The Etruscan Wall surrounding the city

Out walking the dog

Sunlight in the valley

Out for the afternoon passeggiata

Afternoon sunlight on the hillside

The real Bramasole

Charming villa set in the hillside

I'll take any one of these villas. I'm not picky.

Majestic cyprus trees

Looking down across the valley from the edge of the city park

One of the only long, level stretches in Cortona. It's a pedestrian path that is part of the city park.

Old friends enjoying the afternoon

Looking over to Umbria: Lake Trasimeno

Playing in the city park. The kids were a mixture of locals and British visitors. Language doesn't matter when you're a kid and you want to spin until you get sick.

Fountain in the city park

Looking up at a few of Cortona's many bell towers

Memorial to the war dead in the city park

While I was still out of commission with food poisoning, Larry ventured out to find a grocery store and took a walk around our new town. He came back and said, “This might be the cutest town we’ve stayed in this entire trip.” We’ve been in some pretty awesome places, so for him to make such a strong statement is saying something.

When we were in Provence, while our apartment was in a small city in the valley, we were very near to the Luberon range and all of the beautiful hilltop towns that go along with it. We both said, “I’d love to stay in one of these hilltop towns sometime.” A few months later, we’re getting our wish in the form of Cortona, Italy. What is funny about it is that this was quite a happy accident. As with many other of our apartments on this trip, where we ended up isn’t necessarily where we originally targeted to be, and yet where we ended up has turned out to be a much better spot than if we’d gotten our first choice location.

Myth and legend envelop the city’s founding, but one thing is known for certain: Cortona is a very ancient city, and is popularly known as the Mother of Troy and Grandmother of Rome. Enclosed by stone walls built by the Etruscans from 800 BC and earlier, and surrounded by royal Etruscan tombs, Cortona is one of the oldest towns in Italy. Cortona also has the distinction of gaining modern fame with American audiences through Frances Mayes’ book Under the Tuscan Sun (the movie was also filmed here). It’s a quintessential hilltop Tuscan town.

Driving through the medieval city gate to our new home, we were elated with our good fortune. We are happily domiciled at the very top of the town, surrounded by the ancient Etruscan walls, on the ground floor of a stone house built in the 15th Century. We have access to stand on the ancient Etruscan wall from the garden of the home, and have a breathtakingly beautiful view of the Val di Chiana below us. We also have a view of nearby Lake Trasimeno, site of the famous battle in 217 BC between the Carthaginians, led by Hannibal, and the Romans. The Romans were defeated in what is still known today as one of the most successful ambushes in military history.

Once I recovered from the food poisoning, we set out to explore the town. The main part of the town is down a considerable slope from where we are living, which makes the long, steep climb back up a bit of a killer! It’s quite understandable why everyone here, including the elderly, seem very fit and spry!

Our new pad

The Etruscan wall that runs from the garden

View of Cortona from our spot, sunlight shining on the town cemetery

Looking down the street

Monastery down the street

Doorway in Cortona

Piazza Signorelli

There was a performance in front of the Etruscan Museum when Larry went to explore the town

Town Hall and the square where everyone gathers to gossip

Catching up with the townsfolk

Town Hall, Cortona

Taking an afternoon stroll

Ahh, l'amore

Afternoon sun in the Val di Chiana

Window shopping

The church just below us

Fiery sunset

Ivy changing color

Out walking with the dog

We stopped for dinner at a restaurant named Nessun Dorma. I couldn't resist since that's my favorite aria. What a beautiful place!

We found this little guy guarding his corner on our way home from dinner. He charged at us 1,000 miles an hour, looking so ferocious, and then stopped and let us know that the toll to pass was lots of petting and scratching.