Cortona

Palazzo Comunale on Piazza della Repubblica

Cobble Stone Walkway to Santa Margherita Church

A Station of the Cross

Santa Margherita Church

Lunch on Terrace overlooking Piazza Lucca Signorelli

We took a short drive to Cortona today from Montepulciano to explore it’s charm and attraction. Since it was the location where “Under the Tuscan Sun” was filmed, we thought is was worth the trip.

After a good climb up from the parking lot, we started our exploration from the main square of Piazza della Repubblica.  The centerpiece of the piazza is Palazzo del Consiglio Comunale (Town Hall) with the town clock near the peak.

The walkways of Cortona wind steeply up the side of a hill to the Church of Santa Margherita on the very top.  We decided to take the cobblestone path of Via Santa Margherita up to the church as it was touted to be one of the most beautiful walks in Tuscany (Italians do tend to exaggerate).  The pathway included an artist renditions of the Stations of the Cross along the route.  The stations definitely set the tone for our walk as the climb was indeed long and arduous.  Once on top, we were rewarded by a panoramic view of the Valdichiana (Chiana Valley) below and of the huge, nearby lake of Logo Trasimeno.

After our climb we returned to main square and decided we deserved a nice lunch in the adjacent, smaller Piazza Lucca Signorelli.  We found a nice café on a terrace overlooking the piazza and enjoyed a relaxed, unrushed meal.  Before leaving, we asked the wait staff and learned this piazza was used in “Under the Tuscan Sun” but the featured, central fountain in the movie was a construction by the film crew in an otherwise rather, ordinary square.