Cortona (, ) is a town and ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' in the
province of Arezzo
The province of Arezzo ( it, provincia di Arezzo) is the easternmost province in the Tuscany region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Arezzo. The province is bordered by the regions of Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, and the provinces ...
, in
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic centre of the
Val di Chiana
The Val di Chiana, Valdichiana, or Chiana Valley is an alluvial valley of central Italy, lying on the territories of the provinces of Arezzo and Siena in Tuscany and the provinces of Perugia and Terni in Umbria.
Geography
The Val di Chiana is ...
after
Arezzo
Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of above sea level. ...
.
Toponymy
Cortona is derived from Latin Cortōna, and from
Etruscan __NOTOC__
Etruscan may refer to:
Ancient civilization
*The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy
*Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization
**Etruscan architecture
**Etruscan art
**Etruscan cities
** Etrusca ...
𐌂𐌖𐌓𐌕𐌖𐌍 (curtun). This may be related to Indo-European *ghortos meaning "enclosed place" and consequently walled city like Latin hortus, German Garten, Italian orto, English yard, and Slavic grad. The name may also be linked to the
Phrygia
In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empires ...
n town of
Gordium
Gordion ( Phrygian: ; el, Γόρδιον, translit=Górdion; tr, Gordion or ; la, Gordium) was the capital city of ancient Phrygia. It was located at the site of modern Yassıhüyük, about southwest of Ankara (capital of Turkey), in the ...
in Anatolia, although the founding myth for the latter is that it was named after founder, King
Gordias Gordias ( grc, Γορδίας, ''Gordías''; also Γόρδιος, ''Górdios'', "Gordius") was the name of at least two members of the royal house of Phrygia.
The best-known Gordias was reputedly the founder of the Phrygian capital city Gordium, t ...
. However, the Etruscan language is probably a
pre-Indo-European language, and therefore if it was named by the Etruscans, an Indo-European etymology is uncertain. The
Umbrian language
Umbrian is an extinct Italic language formerly spoken by the Umbri in the ancient Italian region of Umbria. Within the Italic languages it is closely related to the Oscan group and is therefore associated with it in the group of Osco-Umbrian lan ...
, by contrast, is an
Italic language, so if it was named by them, a link to Indo-European roots would be more likely.
George Dennis suggests that it was known by many names "Corytus, Croton, Crotona, Cyrtonion, Creston, Gotynaea, Cothernia, or Cortona. The latter name, if we may believe Dionysius (
Dionysius Periegetes
Dionysius Periegetes ( grc-gre, Διονύσιος ὁ Περιηγητής, literally Dionysius the Voyager or Traveller, often Latinized to ''Dionysius Periegeta''), also known as Dionysius of Alexandria or Dionysius the African,''Encyclopædia ...
) (I. p21) was only given when the city was made a Roman colony, not long before his day, taking the place of the old appellation, Croton. Of Corythus, we have already spoken. Cyrtonios or Cyrtonion is the name used by
Polybius
Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail.
Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...
(III.82) and
Stephanus of Byzantium
Stephanus or Stephan of Byzantium ( la, Stephanus Byzantinus; grc-gre, Στέφανος Βυζάντιος, ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD), was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethni ...
. Creston is found only in
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known f ...
, and will be further mentioned presently. Cortynaea is used by
Lycophron
Lycophron (; grc-gre, Λυκόφρων ὁ Χαλκιδεύς; born about 330–325 BC) was a Hellenistic Greek tragic poet, grammarian, sophist, and commentator on comedy, to whom the poem ''Alexandra'' is attributed (perhaps falsely).
Life and ...
(Cass. 806), and by
Theopompus
Theopompus ( grc-gre, Θεόπομπος, ''Theópompos''; c. 380 BCc. 315 BC) was an ancient Greek historian and rhetorician.
Biography
Theopompus was born on the Aegean island of Chios. In early youth, he seems to have spent some time at Athen ...
(ap. Tzetz. ad Lycoph. loc. cit.), who records a tradition that
Ulysses
Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature.
Ulysses may also refer to:
People
* Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name
Places in the United States
* Ulysses, Kansas
* Ulysse ...
, called by the Etruscans, Nanos (cf. Lycoph. 1244; Tzetzes in loc.), sailed to Etruria, took up his abode at Gortynaea, and there died. This says Müller is the Hellenised form of Cortona, for no other Etruscan city can be here intended. Etrusk. IV.4, 1.".
History
Etruscan period
An
Etruscan __NOTOC__
Etruscan may refer to:
Ancient civilization
*The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy
*Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization
**Etruscan architecture
**Etruscan art
**Etruscan cities
** Etrusca ...
presence is found archaeologically from the late
Villanovan
The Villanovan culture (c. 900–700 BC), regarded as the earliest phase of the Etruscan civilization, was the earliest Iron Age culture of Italy. It directly followed the Bronze Age Proto-Villanovan culture which branched off from the Urnfield ...
while there is no such evidence of an
Umbrian
Umbrian is an extinct Italic language formerly spoken by the Umbri in the ancient Italian region of Umbria. Within the Italic languages it is closely related to the Oscan group and is therefore associated with it in the group of Osco-Umbrian lan ...
origin of the city. Between the 8th and 7th centuries BC it became an important member of the
Etruscan League
The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, roug ...
or a ''lucumonia''. Most likely, Cortona became a very powerful city thanks to its strategic position, which allowed a wide control of nearby territory.
In the 4th century BC the Etruscans built the imposing walls that surround the city for about 3 km, the "melon" tombs scattered around the city and the monumental funerary altar (Tumulus II of the Sodo) adorned with sphinxes, a unique example in Italy. The
Tabula Cortonensis
The ''Tabula Cortonensis'' (sometimes also ''Cortona Tablet'') is a 2200-year-old, inscribed bronze tablet in the Etruscan language, discovered in Cortona, Italy. It may record for posterity the details of an ancient legal transaction which too ...
was also found here, a bronze sheet with one of the longest inscriptions in the Etruscan language.
In 310 BC many Etruscan cities were subdued by Rome and Cortona made an alliance with Rome which however was not respected and led to a violent clash near
Lake Trasimeno
Lake Trasimeno ( , also ; it, Lago Trasimeno ; la, Trasumennus; ett, Tarśmina), also referred to as Trasimene ( ) or Thrasimene in English, is a lake in the province of Perugia, in the Umbria region of Italy on the border with Tuscany. Th ...
.
Roman period
Cortona eventually became a Roman colony under the name ''Corito''. Cortona lost much of its influence under Roman rule. The
Via Cassia
The ''Via Cassia'' ("way of Cassius") was an important Roman road striking out of the ''Via Flaminia'' near the Milvian Bridge in the immediate vicinity of Rome and, passing not far from Veii, traversed Etruria. The ''Via Cassia'' passed throug ...
, the main Roman artery through central Etruria, led directly from
Chiusi
Chiusi (Etruscan: ''Clevsin''; Umbrian: ''Camars''; Ancient Greek: ''Klysion'', ''Κλύσιον''; Latin: ''Clusium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy.
History
Clusium (''Clevsin'' in Etruscan) was one of t ...
to
Arezzo
Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of above sea level. ...
, bypassing Cortona.
During the
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...
Hannibal besieged and attacked Cortona. The famous
battle of Trasimeno
The Battle of Lake Trasimene was fought when a Carthaginian force under Hannibal ambushed a Roman army commanded by Gaius Flaminius on 21 June 217 BC, during the Second Punic War. It took place on the north shore of Lake Trasimene, to th ...
took place not far away and the hamlet of Ossaia, not far from the battlefield, takes its name because the remains of the dead were amassed there, becoming an
ossuary
An ossuary is a chest, box, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the ...
.
Traces from the Roman period can also be found in the names of some local hamlets, in particular Metelliano, derived from the toponym of the patrician family
Metelli
The gens Caecilia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are mentioned in history as early as the fifth century BC, but the first of the Caecilii who obtained the consulship was Lucius Caecilius Metellus Denter, in 284 BC.'' ...
, and Centoia on an ancient checkpoint near the via Cassia, seat of a
Century
A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A centennial or ...
, sub-unit of the Roman army.
In 450 AD the Goths occupied Cortona. In the final stages of the
Gothic War (535–554)
The Gothic War between the Eastern Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Justinian I and the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy took place from 535 to 554 in the Italian Peninsula, Dalmatia, Sardinia, Sicily and Corsica. It was one of the last o ...
, Cortona was sacked and destroyed.
Later History
Cortona became a
Ghibellinian city state in the 13th century, with its own currency. From 1325 to 1409, the Ranieri-Casali family successfully ruled the town. After being conquered by
Ladislaus of Naples
Ladislaus the Magnanimous ( it, Ladislao, hu, László; 15 February 1377 – 6 August 1414) was King of Naples from 1386 until his death and an unsuccessful claimant to the kingdoms of Hungary and Croatia. Ladislaus was a skilled political and m ...
in 1409, Cortona was sold to the Medici in 1411. In 1737, the senior branch of the Medici line became extinct and Cortona came under the authority of the House of Lorraine. Following the
Italian Wars of Independence The War of Italian Independence, or Italian Wars of Independence, include:
*First Italian War of Independence (1848–1849)
*Second Italian War of Independence (1859)
*Third Italian War of Independence (1866)
*Fourth Italian War of Independence (19 ...
, Tuscany—Cortona included—became part of the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...
.
Cortona foundation myth
The foundation of Cortona remains mixed in myths dating to classic times. These were later reworked especially in the late Renaissance period under
Cosimo I de' Medici
Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second Duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death.
Life
Rise to power
Cosimo was born in Florence on 12 ...
. The 17th-century Guide of Giacomo Lauro, reworked from writings of
Annio da Viterbo
Annius of Viterbo ( la, Joannes Annius Viterb(i)ensis; 5 January 143713 November 1502) was an Italian Dominican friar, scholar, and historian, born Giovanni Nanni in Viterbo. He is now remembered for his fabrications.
He entered the Dominican Or ...
, states that 108 years after the
Great Flood
A flood myth or a deluge myth is a myth in which a great flood, usually sent by a deity or deities, destroys civilization, often in an act of divine retribution. Parallels are often drawn between the flood waters of these myths and the primaeval ...
, Noah entered the
Valdichiana
The Val di Chiana, Valdichiana, or Chiana Valley is an alluvial valley of central Italy, lying on the territories of the provinces of Arezzo and Siena in Tuscany and the provinces of Perugia and Terni in Umbria.
Geography
The Val di Chiana is ...
via the
Tiber
The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...
and Paglia rivers. He preferred this place to anywhere else in Italy, because it was so fertile, and dwelt there for thirty years. One of Noah's descendants was Crano, his son who came to the hilltop and, liking the high position, the fine countryside and the calm air, built the city of Cortona on it in 273 years after the Great Flood.
Main sights
The prevailing character of Cortona's architecture is medieval with steep narrow streets situated on a hillside at an elevation of that embraces a view of the whole of the Valdichiana. From the Piazza
Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...
(still referred to by the local population by its older name, Piazza Carbonaia) is a fine prospect of
Lake Trasimeno
Lake Trasimeno ( , also ; it, Lago Trasimeno ; la, Trasumennus; ett, Tarśmina), also referred to as Trasimene ( ) or Thrasimene in English, is a lake in the province of Perugia, in the Umbria region of Italy on the border with Tuscany. Th ...
, scene of
Hannibal
Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...
's ambush of the Roman army in 217 BC (
Battle of Lake Trasimene
The Battle of Lake Trasimene was fought when a Carthaginian force under Hannibal ambushed a Roman army commanded by Gaius Flaminius on 21 June 217 BC, during the Second Punic War. It took place on the north shore of Lake Trasimene, to the ea ...
).
Cortona Archaeological Park hosts interesting remains from the Etruscan city state, including ancient walls, buildings and ceremonial tombs. boasts a number of interesting remains from its past as an Etruscan city state. The surrounding countryside is dotted with sections of ancient walls, buildings and ceremonial tombs. Parts of the Etruscan city wall can still be seen today as the basis of the present wall. The main street, via Nazionale, is the only street in the town with no gradient, and is still usually referred to by locals by its older name of Ruga Piana. Outside Cortona are the Roman villa at Ossaia and the Roman roads in the hills nearby which can still be traveled today.
Inside the ''Palazzo Casali ''is the ''Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca'', displaying items from Etruscan, Roman, and Egyptian civilizations, as well as art and artefacts from the Medieval and Renaissance eras. The distinguished Etruscan Academy Museum had its foundation in 1727 with the collections and library of Onofrio Baldelli. Among its most famous ancient artefacts is the bronze ''lampadario'' or Etruscan hanging lamp, found at Fratta near Cortona in 1840 and then acquired by the Academy for the large sum of 1600 Florentine scudi. Its iconography includes (under the 16 burners) alternating figures of
Silenus
In Greek mythology, Silenus (; grc, Σειληνός, Seilēnós, ) was a companion and tutor to the wine Greek god, god Dionysus. He is typically older than the satyrs of the Dionysian retinue (''thiasos''), and sometimes considerably older, ...
playing
panpipes
A pan flute (also known as panpipes or syrinx) is a musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length (and occasionally girth). Multiple varieties of pan flutes have been ...
or double flutes, and of sirens or
harpies
In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; lat, harpȳia) is a half-human and half-bird personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems.
Descriptions
They were generally depicted as birds with the head ...
. Within zones representing waves, dolphins and fiercer sea-creatures is a
gorgon
A Gorgon (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɔːrɡən/; plural: Gorgons, Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek: Γοργών/Γοργώ ''Gorgṓn/Gorgṓ'') is a creature in Greek mythology. Gorgons occur in the earliest examples of Greek literature. W ...
-like face with protruding tongue. Between each burner is a modelled horned head of
Achelous
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Achelous (also Acheloos or Acheloios) (; Ancient Greek: Ἀχελώϊος, and later , ''Akhelôios'') was the god associated with the Achelous River, the largest river in Greece. According to Hesiod, he ...
. It is supposed that the lampadario derived from some important north Etruscan religious shrine of around the second half of the 4th century BC. A later (2nd century BC) inscription shows it was rededicated for votive purposes (tinscvil) by the ''Musni'' family at that time. The Museum contains several other important Etruscan bronzes.
Etruscan chamber-tombs nearby include the ''Tanella di Pitagora'' (halfway up the hill from
Camucia
Camucia () is a small town in Tuscany in central Italy. It is a ''frazione'' of Cortona. Sitting at the base of the hill on which Cortona lies, it serves as the railway station for the historic town, on the main Florence - Rome
, establish ...
): the fine masonry of the tomb stands exposed, but was formerly covered by an earth mound. Two at the foot of the hillside at Il Sodo, and a complex in Camucia itself. Il Sodo I, the 'Grotta Sergardi' commonly known as 'Il Melone', contains a passage, opening into parallel passages leading to square inner chambers, within a mound about in circumference. Although the chambers are paved with slabs of masonry the walls are constructed of pieces of rock roughly-formed into bricks. This tomb can be visited. Il Sodo II contained a large stone-stepped altar platform with carved sphinxes devouring warriors.
The town's chief artistic treasures are two panels by
Fra Angelico
Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; February 18, 1455) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Vasari in his '' Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent".Giorgio Vasari, ''Lives of the Artists''. Pengu ...
in the
Diocesan Museum
A diocesan museum is a museum for an ecclesiastical diocese, a geographically-based division of the Christian Church.
Austria:
* Diocesan Museum, Graz, Styria
* Gurk Treasury, Carinthia
* Diocesan Museum, Linz, Upper Austria
* Cathedral Mus ...
, an ''
Annunciation
The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ange ...
'' and a ''Madonna and Child with Saints''. A third surviving work by the same artist is the fresco above the entrance to the
church of ''San Domenico'', likewise painted during his stay at Cortona in 1436. The Diocesan Museum houses also a group of work by
Giuseppe Maria Crespi
Giuseppe Maria Crespi (March 14, 1665 – July 16, 1747), nicknamed Lo Spagnuolo ("The Spaniard"), was an Italian late Baroque painter of the Bolognese School. His eclectic output includes religious paintings and portraits, but he is now mo ...
, known as Lo Spagnuolo, called ''Ecstasy of Saint Margaret''. The Academy Museum includes the very well known painting ''Maternità'' of 1916 by the Cortonese artist
Gino Severini
Gino Severini (7 April 1883 – 26 February 1966) was an Italian Painting, painter and a leading member of the Futurism (art), Futurist movement. For much of his life he divided his time between Paris and Rome. He was associated with neo-classici ...
. There are also examples of the works of
Pietro da Cortona
Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...
.
The villa ''Bramasole'', built in 1504, was used as the location for the 2003 film ''
Under the Tuscan Sun''.
The Imperial villa of Ossaia
The Imperial villa was inhabited from the 1st century BC until the 6th century AD. The large, luxurious, elongated terraced villa was owned first by the consular family
Vibii Pansae, followed by
Gaius Caesar
Gaius Caesar (; 20 BC – 21 February 4 AD) was the grandson and heir to the throne of Roman emperor Augustus, alongside his younger brother Lucius Caesar. Although he was born to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia, Augustus' only daughter, Gai ...
and
Lucius Caesar
Lucius Caesar (17 BC – 20 August AD 2) was a grandson of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. The son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder, Augustus' only daughter, Lucius was adopted by his grandfather along with his older brother, ...
, grandsons and heirs to the throne of emperor
Augustus
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...
.
Other archaeological areas
![Cortona, porta sant'agostino](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Cortona%2C_porta_sant%27agostino.jpg)
The archaeological park of Cortona has 11 sites, among which is the second tumulus of the Sodo, an imposing 6th century BC tomb with a monumental staircase decorated by large sculptural groups.
* Etruscan walls. The walls encircle the town on the original foundations shown by their massive stones. The Porta Bifora is double-arched and the sole remaining Etruscan Gate. The Romans repaired damaged walls and built new gates on the two main roads of the city: the Porta Sant’Agostino, Porta Colonia, Porta Santa Maria and Porta San Domenico.
* Tomb of Mezzavia
* Tumulus I of the Sodo
* Tumulus II of the Sodo
* Tanella Angori
* Tanella di Pitagora
* Tumulus of Camucia
* Roman road of Torreone
* Roman road of Mount Maestrino
* Roman road of Teverina Bassa
* Baths of Bacchus cistern
* Wall section at Palazzo Cerulli-Diligenti
* Wall section at Palazzo Casali
* Barrel vault near via Guelfa
Renaissance architecture
![Cortona S Maria Nuova](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Cortona_S_Maria_Nuova.jpg)
''
Santa Maria Nuova
Santa Maria Nuova is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ancona in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona.
Santa Maria Nuova borders the following municipalities: Filottrano, Jesi, Osimo, Polverigi.
Among the ch ...
'', built by
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...
in 1554, is a domed church with a centralized Greek cross layout. Inside are four large columns which supports the lantern of the cupola. At the sides the four arms of the cross branch out covered with barrel-vaults, while four small cupolas arise in the spaces of the angles. The interior contains paintings depicting a ''
Nativity'' by
Alessandro Allori
Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (Florence, 31 May 153522 September 1607) was an Italian painter of the late Mannerist Florentine school.
Biography
In 1540, after the death of his father, Allori was brought up and trai ...
, ''San
Carlo Borromeo
Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat ...
administers communion to those afflicted by Plague'' by
Baccio Ciarpi
Baccio Ciarpi (1574–1654) was an Italian painter of the late- Mannerism and early- Baroque style. Born in Barga in Tuscany, he was active in Rome and Florence. He is best known for having mentored briefly Pietro da Cortona. He painted a number o ...
, and an ''Annunciation'' by
Empoli
Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Roman times. The comm ...
. The church is in poor condition, and the interior is not open for visitors.
''
Santa Maria delle Grazie al Calcinaio
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...
'' was built in 1484–1515 by
Francesco di Giorgio Martini
Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1501) was an Italian architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and writer. As a painter, he belonged to the Sienese School. He was considered a visionary architectural theorist—in Nikolaus Pevsner's terms: ...
to shelter a putatively miraculous icon of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
, the "Madonna del Calcinaio". This image was originally painted on the timbers of a lime-vat, a ''calcinaio'', hence the name. A centralized Renaissance design was applied to the design of the nave: the eastern part of the building was generally developed into a centralized form, which would then be crowned with a large cupola, foreshadowing the cathedral at Florence. The restored interior has unusually high arches.
Other churches
*
Cathedral (Duomo) of Cortona (''Santa Maria'')
* Basilica of
Santa Margherita
*
Guzzetti Chapel The Guzzetti Chapel ( it, Cappella Guzzetti) was built in the 18th century and is located on the grounds of the Cortona's Villa delle Contesse (Corona Villa) in Cortona, Italy in Tuscany. It contains a fresco cycle and altarpiece by Jewish-America ...
*
Spirito Santo
* San Benedetto
*
San Cristoforo
San Cristoforo (in local dialect San Cristòfi) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southeast of Alessandria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a p ...
*
San Domenico
* San Filippo Neri
*
San Francesco
* San Marco
* San Niccolò
* Santa Chiara
* (Former) church of the Gesù
*
Abbey of Farneta
* Franciscan
Convent de Le Celle
* San Donnino (or, Madonna della Croce)
* Pieve di San Michele Arcangelo at Metelliano
* Sanctuary of the Madonna del Bagno
* San Biagio at Pierle
* San Marco Evangelista
Transportation
Cortona may be accessed by rail: the closest station is
Camucia
Camucia () is a small town in Tuscany in central Italy. It is a ''frazione'' of Cortona. Sitting at the base of the hill on which Cortona lies, it serves as the railway station for the historic town, on the main Florence - Rome
, establish ...
-Cortona, away. In addition
Terontola-Cortona station lies in the district of Terontola. Both stations lie on the
Florence–Rome railway
The Florence–Rome railway is part of the traditional main north–south trunk line of the Italian railway network. The line is referred to by Ferrovie dello Stato (the State Railways) as the ''Linea Lenta'' (meaning "slow line", abbreviated ''L ...
, while Terontola-Cortona station is also at the junction with the
line to Foligno, via . There are direct trains from Florence, Rome, and Foligno (via Perugia).
Wine
In 2000, Cortona established Cortona DOC (''
Denominazione di Origine Controllata
The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine:
* ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”),
* ''Indicazione geografica tipic ...
''), which has 29 members that produce and control 14 different types of wines.
Notable people
![Calvi J](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Calvi_J._A._Estasi_di_santa_Margherita.jpg)
*
Margaret of Cortona
Margaret of Cortona (1247 – 22 February 1297) was an Italian penitent of the Third Order of Saint Francis. She was born in Laviano, near Perugia, and died in Cortona. She was canonized in 1728.
She is the patron saint of the falsely accused ...
(1247–1297)
*
Luca Signorelli
Luca Signorelli ( – 16 October 1523) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Cortona in Tuscany, who was noted in particular for his ability as a draftsman and his use of foreshortening. His massive frescos of the ''Last Judgment'' (1499–15 ...
(1445–1523)
*
Francesco Laparelli
Francesco Laparelli da Cortona (5 April 1521 – 20 October 1570) was an Italian architect. He was an assistant of Michelangelo, and later was sent by the Pope to supervise the construction of Valletta in Malta.
Early career
Laparelli was bor ...
(1521–1570), engineer and builder
*
Bernardino Radi
Bernardino Radi (2 December 1581 – 29 May 1643) was an Italian engraver and architect, born in Cortona, who etched a set of plates depicting architectural ornaments and monuments, published in Rome in 1618, under the title o''Varie invenzoni ...
(1581–1643), sculptor and architect
*
Pietro da Cortona
Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...
(1596–1669), important architect and painter
*
Domenico Cecchi "il Cortona" (c. 1650/55–1717), celebrated Italian castrato and opera singer (soprano)
*
Gino Severini
Gino Severini (7 April 1883 – 26 February 1966) was an Italian Painting, painter and a leading member of the Futurism (art), Futurist movement. For much of his life he divided his time between Paris and Rome. He was associated with neo-classici ...
(1883–1966), painter of Futurism
*
Lorenzo Cherubini
Lorenzo Cherubini (; born 27 September 1966), better known as Jovanotti (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, rapper and disc jockey.
The name Jovanotti derives from ''giovanotti'', the plural form of the Italian word ''giovanotto'' ("young man") ...
–
Jovanotti
Lorenzo Cherubini (; born 27 September 1966), better known as Jovanotti (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, rapper and disc jockey.
The name Jovanotti derives from ''giovanotti'', the plural form of the Italian word ''giovanotto'' ("young man") ...
(born 1966), musician
*
Frances Mayes
Frances Mayes is an American novelist. Her 1996 memoir '' Under the Tuscan Sun.'' was on the New York Times Best Seller list for over two years and was the basis for the film '' Under the Tuscan Sun''.
Biography
Born and raised in Fitzgerald, Geor ...
(born 1940), author
*
Francesco Attesti
Francesco Attesti (born 6 June 1975, in Cortona) is an Italian classical pianist.
Biography
He began practicing the piano at the age of 6 and gave his first concert at 11.
In 1998, studying with Maestro Luigi Tanganelli at the Luigi Cherubini ...
(born 1975), classical pianist
*
Andrea Cottini
Andrea Cottini (born 23 March 1976 in Cortona, Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Citizenship
, demographics1_ ...
(born 1976), football player
*
Zerocalcare
Michele Rech (; born 12 December 1983), known as Zerocalcare (), is an Italian cartoonist. His pen name, literally meaning "zero limescale", was inspired by an Italian TV commercial jingle for a descaler product because he had to choose a nicknam ...
(born 1983), cartoonist
Sister cities
Cortona is
twinned with:
*
Athens, Georgia
Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, since 1978
*
Château-Chinon
Château-Chinon is the name of two communes of the Nièvre ''département'', in France:
* Château-Chinon (Ville)
* Château-Chinon (Campagne)
The two towns are neighboring each other. They were separated during the French Revolution
...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, since 1980
*
San José de los Remates
San José de los Remates is a municipality in the Boaco department of Nicaragua.
It has a population of 9,600 (2006, est.) and an extension of 280.46 km². The economy is based mainly on agricultural and agropecuarian activities. The capital ...
,
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
, since 1989
*
Krujë
Krujë ( sq-definite, Kruja; see also the etymology section) is a town and a municipality in north central Albania. Located between Mount Krujë and the Ishëm River, the city is only 20 km north from the capital of Albania, Tirana.
Kruj ...
,
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, since 1995
*
Czechowice-Dziedzice
Czechowice-Dziedzice (, szl, Czechowice-Dziydzice), previously known until 1958 as Czechowice, is a town in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 35,684 inhabitants as of December 2021. It lies on the northeastern edge of t ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, since 2014
*
Carmel
Carmel may refer to:
* Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea
* Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
* Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order
Carmel may also ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, since 2022
*
La Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 was ...
,
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, since 2022
In popular culture
Cortona was featured as one of the destinations in a travel episode of ''
Conan'', where
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (19 ...
and Jordan Schlansky (one of the show's associate producers) visits Italy.
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
Schlansky, being a recurring visitor of Cortona, is awarded a parking space by the city's mayor and introduces O' Brien to his favourite restaurant, where he, with questionable success, explains the food, wine, and the surrounding area, to his travel companion.
Cortona was also featured in
Frances Mayes' book ''
Under the Tuscan Sun'', basis for the eponymous
movie
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
starring
Diane Lane
Diane Colleen Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at age 14 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film ''A Little Romance''.
The two films that could have catapulted her to star ...
. She visits Cortona on a tour and buys a villa on the outskirts.
See also
*
Tabula Cortonensis
The ''Tabula Cortonensis'' (sometimes also ''Cortona Tablet'') is a 2200-year-old, inscribed bronze tablet in the Etruscan language, discovered in Cortona, Italy. It may record for posterity the details of an ancient legal transaction which too ...
– An ancient Etruscan artifact found in the city of Cortona in 1992.
*
Saint Margaret of Cortona
Margaret of Cortona (1247 – 22 February 1297) was an Italian penitent of the Third Order of Saint Francis. She was born in Laviano, near Perugia, and died in Cortona. She was canonized in 1728.
She is the patron saint of the falsely accused, ...
*
Tuscan Sun Festival
The Tuscan Sun Festival is an annual music and lifestyle festival in Florence, the capital of Tuscany in Italy. ''The Independent'' called the festival “One of the Ten Best Summer Arts Festivals in Europe”.'
Described by the ''International He ...
References
External links
Cortonaweb: everything about CortonaSanctuary of Saint Margaret of CortonaCortona Mia: Art, all restaurants, bnb, accommodation, apéritif, night lifeEverything about CortonaMaec – The Museum of the Etruscan Academy– Pierle
''Il Pollo della Valdichiana'', contemporary information newsletter, now published as ''Valdichiana oggi''
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Tuscany
Hilltowns in Tuscany
Roman villas in Italy