Things To Do in Tuscany

“people to see - places to go...”

Famous towns and villages within 60 minutes' drive:

The following locations are well-provided with restaurants and trattorias that are mentioned in the vast majority of "good eating guides" for Tuscany and Umbria.

At Anghiari you can visit the famous Busatti factory where they make beautiful handcrafted textiles and linen.

At Arezzo you can view the newly-restored Piero della Francesca murals in the church of San Francesco depicting the Battle of Anghiari and the True Stations of the Cross

Città di Castello is a beautiful town in the plain of the Upper Tiber Valley, worth a visit simply to admire the design and layout of its mediaeval streets and renaissance architecture, and taste the delights of Umbrian cooking in the excellent trattorias and restaurants.

A perfect daytrip takes in Assisi, the famed religious centre of the Saint Frances foundation, with its fascinating Basilica and Upper Chapel (painted by Giotto), and then on to Deruta, (near Perugia) where you can inspect and purchase the marvels of hand painted ceramic pottery made by local families who still use the same traditional designs, colours and techniques handed down to them from past generations.

Montepulciano can be seen from Cortona the other side of the Valdichiana, on its hilltop. Apart from being the famed centre for the delicious Vino Nobile wines, it has to be experienced on foot to admire its beautiful streets, plazas and red brick buildings and particularly the magnificent church of San Biagio on the outskirts of town.

Perugia, the regional capital of Umbria, is well worth a visit. It is home of the National Gallery for early church paintings and icons, has a magnificent Romanesque cathedral as well as many interesting monuments and art treasures.

Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia are charming little villages worth a visit in the province of Siena, principally because of the exquisitely beautiful environment in which they are located. Their surroundings offer expansive, rolling Tuscan landscapes ideal for photography and painting. Both villages are also trading centres for the delicious "pecorino" cheese (made from sheep's milk) which is produced in this region by prized Sardinian flocks.

Admirers of Piero della Francesco will also want to visit the mediaeval town of Sansepolcro east of Arezzo, where the revolutionary painter was born and which houses many of his important works, carefully transplanted to the Piero museum from nearby village churches and chapels where he practiced his art.

Siena, the central Tuscan hilltown par excellence, simply overflows with history and divinely beautiful art and architecture. Again, you should take a good guide book with you on your explorations of this unique town.

top of page

Vineyards:

You can take easy daytrips (in your own vehicle or in a chauffeur-driven minibus) for wine tasting at some of the best vineyards in Umbria and Tuscany, such as Montepulciano (Vino Nobile reds), Gaiole and Radda (Chianti Classico reds), Montalcino (Brunello reds), Orvieto (Orvieto whites), Torgiano of Perugia (Torgiano whites), San Gimignano (Vernaccia whites), Spoleto (Montefalco reds)

top of page

Museums & Art Galleries

On-line tickets for Museums and Art Galleries in Italy
To avoid long queues and disappointments, Florence Art is an excellent website for booking tickets in advance to visit the major museums and art galleries of Italy (such as Gli Uffizi gallery in Florence), complete with visiting times and closure dates.

top of page

Entertainment:

Cortona offers the following possibilities:

  • Teatro Signorelli offers movies, national circuit plays, concerts and cabaret all year round
  • Good Friday: solemn religious procession through the candle-lit streets of Cortona (after dark)
  • End of April: flower show and copperware market in Piazza Signorelli
  • May: Renaissance marriage festivities and traditional crossbow contest in period costumes (Piazza Signorelli)
  • Open air movies in the amphitheatre of the Napoleonic gardens (Summer months only)
  • Open air theatre and operas in Piazza Signorelli and at the Medici fortress (Summer months only)
  • Live chamber music, classical guitar, pianoforte, vocalists and quartettes in the romantic courtyard of Palazzo Casali, the historic town hall of bygone times (Summer months only)
  • In Late July, the Umbria Jazz Festival hits Cortona's Piazza Signorelli for 2 days with some Big Names on the international music scene
  • August 14/15: traditional beefsteak feast in the Napoleonic gardens where locally produced T-bone steaks are cooked on an enormous 150 steak barbecue !
  • Late August/early September (for 2 weeks): national antique furniture fair in Palazzo Vagnotti

top of page

Communications:

Why come on holiday to Tuscany if you can't keep away from the job? Joking apart, if you must keep in touch with friends at home or colleagues in the office Cortona has several Internet and Facsimile service points where you can plug in your laptop, send and receive fax messages or simply navigate on the desktops provided.

top of page

Sports:

For Hikers and Bikers (which can be hired by the day, week or weekend) there is plenty to explore in the hills and dales surrounding Cortona, along dozens of tracks and hill trails where autos fear to tread.

At nearby Lake Trasimeno (15 minutes drive) you can Windsurf or Sail with local clubs.

The Lamborghini Golf Club of Panicale (30 minutes drive) is located 8 kms south of Castiglione del Lago (on Lake Trasimeno). It is a Par 36, 9-hole course.

For the brave hearts, Skydiving can be arranged in collaboration with the aviation club based at Castiglione del Lago (20 minutes drive). Jumps are from a height of 4000 meters and take place every weekend, by appointment.

Hot Air Balloon rides can be experienced with the "Ballooning in Tuscany" club, which is based near Rapolano Terme (on the way to Siena).

top of page