Relaxing under the Tuscan sun
Bagpipes? We swear we can hear bagpipes playing the Wedding March. We open the hotel window and yes . . . bagpipes in the piazza. A Scottish piper stands on the top step of Cortona's historic town hall. The ancient doors open and a radiant bride and her kilted groom emerge into the sunlight. It's a happy scene.
Earlier, our minibus dropped us off in the central Piazza della Repubblica. We found the boutique Hotel Italia just a short bag trundle down the narrow Via Ghibellina in a 15th century mansion. An old stone staircase led us up to a charming little room with sweeping views over the rooftops and bell towers to the valley below.
Just a two-hour drive north from Rome, Cortona sits on a hill overlooking the Chiana Valley in southern Tuscany. After a wonderfully exhausting time in Rome, we've been looking forward to the slower, relaxed pace of this lovely old town. After three days, we don't want to leave.
There are a number of other delightful hilltop towns a short distance from Rome. We'd stopped in two on the drive up to Cortona - Pienza for coffee and Montepulciano for lunch. But having read Under the Tuscan Sun, we were drawn to Cortona.
We dine by candlelight that warm Tuscan evening on the patio flagstones at Ristorante Tempero. A caprese salad of sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and lemon juice tastes as good as it looks. Tuscan tagliatelle, ground boar with porcini mushrooms, a green salad and a jug of mellow chianti follow. Then chocolate and pear cake served with coffee and a glass of palate-cleansing limoncello.
Our early morning walk the following day is enhanced by the aromas of baking. A tumble of breads, tempting pastries and pies fills bakery windows. Coffee beans rattle in cafe grinders for espressos served with nodded 'giornos.
After an excellent hotel rooftop breakfast, our day of discovery starts in the central piazza.
Cortona is a small, walkable place and the ancient Etruscan wall which encloses much of the medieval town is a good place to begin. The views over olive groves, vineyards and farms across the valley to the mountains are spectacular.
Cortona's most important artistic treasures are two 1436 painted panels by Fra Angelico - a Madonna and child and an annunciation, depicting the angel Gabriel telling Mary she will be the mother of Jesus. Both paintings are on proud display in the Diocesan Art Museum along with other noted paintings, textiles and precious metal artworks.
The nearby Etruscan Academy Museum in the 13th century Palazzo Casali is reputed to hold the world's finest collection of Etruscan artefacts, including significant bronzes and a 4th century hanging lamp. The Etruscans inhabited the region from 600BC but they were overthrown by the Romans in 396BC. The region is peppered with Etruscan tombs, underground passages and chambers.
Coffee now seems a good idea. We join the Cortonese to sip cappuccino and people-watch on the sun-bathed piazza outside Cafe Signorelli. Our young waiter unashamedly flirts with two pretty backpackers. A class of neatly dressed children chatters by, hand in hand. Elegant ladies sail past on upright bicycles and chic young women air-kiss in greeting. And everyone stops to admire a new baby.
Cortona's small Teatro Signorelli is worth a visit. Built in the 1850s along classical opera-house lines, the handsomely designed interior is tastefully finished in cream, gold and burgundy. Four tiers of boxes overlook the plush stalls and stage. The pastel-blue ceiling fresco is truly an eye-catcher.
We ask Ilenia, the manager of our hotel, for a dinner suggestion. She walks us straight across the narrow street to her friend Sylvia in Ristorante Fulfuns.
In the cosy cellar of what was once a palace, Sylvia and her mother create appetising and substantial meals from mamma's memory bank of recipes, served in pleasant, casual surroundings.
Sylvia serves us antipasti of fried stuffed olives and mozzarella, then ravioli with cheese and pine nuts followed by turkey escalope with mushrooms. Fresh bread is plentiful and a very inexpensive, smooth local red wine helps things along. Dessert is panna cotta with fresh berries. We sleep well.
The next day, Villa Bramasole is top of our to-do list. The restoration of the villa by American author Frances Mayes features in her book Under the Tuscan Sun. A country walk with a picnic lunch also seems like a good idea.
There are so many breads of different shapes and sizes in Panificio Cortonese that we just point one out. The pastry selection takes a little longer. Next, we drop by the deli, Despar Mollecini, where cheeses are weighed, Parma ham shaved and salami sliced. We come away with pecorino romano, a hard salty sheep-milk cheese and some thinly sliced prosciutto. A large, juicy tomato from the nearby Fruttissima is added.
Armed with directions, we start out for Villa Bramasole. We walk along Via Nazionale, past the 1391 church of San Domenico and into the beautiful Giardini Pubblici. Out along the winding county road around the mountain is Bramasole. Mission accomplished. We return to the Giardini Pubblici, lay out our picnic and savour the essence of Tuscany overlooking the valley bathed in golden sunshine.
On our other walks, we venture from the sunlight into darkened churches. All are cool and quiet, and each possesses a unique religious relic or exquisite work of art. It is amid the medieval architecture of the steep ancient streets, narrow alleys and courtyards that we most feel the long and varied history of Cortona.
The Via Nazionale shops are a magnet. We admire stylish handmade Italian shoes and local designer dresses in boutique windows. We view art in galleries off cobbled courtyards and fossick through antique shops. We linger in the cafes over pastries and coffee.
On our last evening, we attend a wine and cheese tasting at Enoteca Molesini, and come away with two bottles of sangiovese - a local wine. One we drink with dinner, the other we bring home.
