Scents and scenes.

 

Piazza della Repubblica. Cortona.
Late September morning.

I walk through the square,
sunny stone all around,
chatty tables outside “Bar Cristallo”,
the clock tower  is watching over:
our old men
sitting on benches
talking about weather and bones;
tourists walking, admiring, taking pictures, laughing…
they have the “I’m so lucky to be here” look over their faces.

Suddenly:
an amazingly strong scent of red wine pervades the square.
Deliciously unexplainable.
A dream?

No, in the middle of the square I see
a man picking up the rests of three bottles of wine
from the ground.
(Cheeky plastic bags!)

With a big smile and an “I don’t mind, because I’m happy” look on his face
he elegantly reaches the nearest trash can
holding his wasted “souvenirs” he had just bought in the Piazza.

Life is a play.

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School trips and Etruscan fun!

Sometimes, at night, walking around Cortona, you could meet a group of teenagers in green t-shirts, flashing torches, writing on notebooks and reading rhymes…Heraldry
They certainly are students from European international schools enjoying original activities in the town.
The night activity is called “Alley-Cats” and the children have tremendous fun!

They usually come to Cortona for a week with their teachers and follow very interesting schedules organized for them by CREA: Cortona Recreational Educational Association.

Ferryboat on lake Trasimeno

CREA has been successfully running fieldtrips for students from European International schools for over ten years. The activities are specially designed to suit all classes. Programs have a special focus on subjects as varied as medieval studies (heraldry, wax seals, drama, art history, map reading and studying the Etruscans and Romans). Itineraries always include a choice of visits to Arezzo, Assisi, Florence, Orvieto and Siena;

Also… Cortona guided tours, ferryboat rides in lake Trasimeno with island treasure hunts, medieval banquets, museum games, jousts, mosaic activity, pizza evenings, disco nights at a privately hired discotheque, drama games with a professional animator, demonstrations of specialized activities with students’ participation in: medieval flag-throwing and crossbow shooting. The staff is composed by professional teachers from different countries, specialized on several subjects.

Kids with their very own shields!CREA reserves the possibility to organize different itineraries on the basis of cultural and touristy demand. So if you are a teacher interested in giving your students a great experience in Italy, or an involved parent willing to suggest new original activities to your children’ school, click HERE for more information!

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Buonanotte…

Tonight Cortona is a sleeping beauty
cradled by a warm September night,
watched over by a silent white moon
and crickets singing lullabies.

And one of my favourite goodnight songs is
“Dormi e Sogna”….(Sleep and Dream)
by “Piccola orchestra Avion Travel”

Dormi e Sogna

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New York in Cortona’s heart.

Lorenzo Cherubini "Jovanotti"

Italian superstar Lorenzo Cherubini “Jovanotti”,
being born and still living here,
is one of Cortona’s most important prides.

The singer posted his personal version of a song by Luigi Tenco, to honour the memory of September 11 2001,
on his facebook wall.

“Lontano Lontano” by Lorenzo Cherubini.

The video shows also images of New York filmed by Lorenzo’s father in 1973.

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Secret Artist – Donatella De Palma

After being the most rational girl in the world,
at the age of fifty has a complete change of perspective, embracing art in all its unpredictable ways.
She starts one day in the middle of a sunny June 2006, in Cortona’s beautiful countryside and falls in love with colours and brushes and hands and eyes and any paintable surface.

In 6 years she goes through so many artistic periods that Picasso himself would be amazed! …the black pen period, the sphere period, the silhouette period, the blue pen period, the phosphorescent period, and many more…

Unfortunately, every now and then, she also goes through a “painting-on-top-of-finished-paintings” period, which sometimes causes the loss of very beautiful artwork.
She is also a very inspired interior designer and a curious photographer.

People are her favourite  subject, but not the only one…

“I love to find out who they are! I don’t know the people I draw…
they are just ‘my people’ whoever they are and wherever they may exist..”

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Casa Chilenne

One of the best times of year to be in Cortona?
September.
Where to stay?
Bed and Breakfast “Casa Chilenne”.

Jeanette’s breakfast is delicious.
It makes you want to stay forever…

The roof terrace that overlooks via Nazionale, Cortona’s main street, makes you feel very lucky…

Luxurious rooms and bathrooms, decorated in Belle Epoque style, give you the warmest of atmospheres…

 

Run down the stairs, open the door,
you’ll find yourself in the heart of one of the most ancient towns in Italy.
Amazing.

Further information and bookings HERE.

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Artist Jannis Kounellis in Cortona.

Since 2001 a special Cortonantiquaria Prize is given every year, during the fair, to important personalities, from artist to entrepreneurs.

This year it has been awarded to Jannis Kounellis, famous Greek sculptor and painter, who has been working and living in Italy for so long now that he’s considered one of the most “Italian” amongst contemporary artists.

The gala ceremony during which the prize will be given to Kounellis will take place tonight at 9.45 pm in Sant’Agostino Auditorium in Cortona.

Jannis Kounellis

Kounellis is currently working at a special site-specific project for the Cortonantiquaria
exhibition,a work of art he wants to donate to our beautiful precious town.
The work will be formed by old and antique wooden furniture.

“Wood, furniture are the pivot of the antique.
Wooden furniture are like old coats, that have smells, colours and unique and unrepeatable shapes.
I want to render homage to these old wooden coats, recuperating their deep soul, sinking into wood and shape” says Kounellis.

Check pictures of the artist working on the project HERE.

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Antiques Show in Cortona!

Cortona is definitively a “she”, and as many little misses, I’d say she likes to show off quite a lot.

She enjoys showing off her artists, her food, her looks, her sounds, her people…
all her treasures. But she also likes showing off other countries’ or town’s belongings! In fact since 1963 Cortona hosts a national antiques exhibition, for two weeks every summer at the end of August, named “Cortonantiquaria”. It is renowned as one of the most prestigious antiques fairs at national and international level.

This year the official opening was last Friday, 26th of August, and the show will end on the 11th of September.

The beautiful 18th century halls of Palazzo Vagnotti, one of the many great buildings of Cortona, treasures more than a thousand pieces of antique furniture and collectable art objects, displayed by 38 exhibiters from all over Italy, but also Spain and the Republic of San Marino. Paintings, sculptures, jewels, carpets, engravings, earthenware, silver and bronzes, prints, weapons and much more, accurately selected and certified.

This year you can also find iconic dresses from Italian and French, 50’s and 60’s, fashion created by designers such as Elsa Schiapparelli, Pierre Cardin, Courrègés, especially for stars like Grace Kelly e Audrey Hepburn or even figures like Wallis Simpson. So, once again Cortona becomes an explosion of “Bella Vita” thanks to the related surplus of social events, wine and food tasting which accompany the two weeks of the show.

The exhibition is open from 10 am to 1 pm and 3 to 8 pm from Monday to Friday.
10 am to 8 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Ticket price: 8 euros.

Palazzo Vagnotti is in Piazza G.Franciolini.

You can simply enjoy a pleasant tour amongst treasures or if you’re a collector you can find the (antique) love of your life, buy it and take it home with you!

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Cortona and local food festivals.

I’m sure that if you are in Italy right now you’ve already noticed quite a number of posters bearing the word “SAGRA”…

It indicates a traditional gastronomical town festival, often dedicated to some specific local food, and the name itself of the sagra includes that food.
Remember some posts ago?
“La sagra della bistecca”… the beef steak festival.

You can find any kind of festival!
From the watermelon one to the frog one,
from the “Sagra della pizza” to the “Sagra della castagna”
(the chestnut festival).

It depends on the time of the year.
It can last from one to several days and usually local people cook whole meals including many other delicious products (obviously!)
Great traditional recipes and very good prices.

The word “sagra” comes from the Latin “sacrum” which means “sacred”, in fact, in ancient times, all year round, various harvesting occasions were celebrated by religious feasts to thank divinities for the crops. For this reason they were held in front of temples or churches.

In Cortona the local Sagre (plural) are held in the park, the “Parterre” gardens.

Tomorrow and Saturday evening? La “Sagra del fungo porcino”!
The 22nd edition of the porcini mushroom  festival… delicious: amazing dishes made with porcini from the rich mountains surrounding Cortona.

Any events tonight?

Yes! The opening of the 8th edition of the European festival of folk music and dances.
No food… but very good entertainment!

Cortona, Piazza della Repubblica, 9.30 pm

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