During my vistit to Cortona I visited several hotels. Amongst theese, I recommend the followings:

Villa di Piazzano

La Bucaccia is a typical Cortonese restaurant, located in via Ghibellina, right in the heart of the town of Cortona. The affable Romano, and his wife Agostina run this restaurant as a family business.  Great passion and care is placed in every detail, from the ingredients, to the truly traditional dishes of the past, the wine list, and of course the warm and personalized service offered by Romano and his team.

Orders are taken directly by Romano, who will explain all the cooking techniques and even spoke to us about the various suppliers which he visits weekly to buy all the best quality ingredients. In fact, La Bucaccia is the only restaurant in Cortona certified as a typical restaurant for Tuscan cuisine. This means that all the recipes must be made with ingredients typical of the area and purchased directly from local producers. He even showed me the certificate for the Chianina beef that I was eating. The flavours are fabulous, the wine selection is excellent, and not too expensive. Romano also gives great advice on combining the right food to the right wine. He’s a true connoisseur. Try the ravioli with chestnuts, the warm tuscan crostini, the succulent Chianina steak or the Pici all’Aglione and you will be not disappointed.

L’Antica Casina di Caccia, is 4 km from Cortona. The property is surrounded by tobacco fields and you come through a long avenue of cypresses. It’s like being in a place forgotten by speculative building where the man has managed to preserve the environment with love and respect.

On the second night in Cortona, I received a tip to go down and have dinner at L’Antica Casina di Caccia, the restaurant of the Hotel Villa di Piazzano, just 4 km from Cortona proper. This restaurant is part of a hotel complex in an absolutely breathtaking location. To reach the property you drive down a typical cypress tree lined viale surrounded on both sides by what seem to be neverending fields of tobacco and sunflowers. Whilst driving down this road I felt like I was venturing into a fairy tail. In speaking to the owner, Alessandra, she explained that they have been fortunate because the entire area is rigidly protected by the local authorities in order to preserve its unspoilt natural beauty.

The restaurant L’Antica Casina di Caccia benefits from a beautiful panoramic terrace overlooking the Tuscan countryside. The glorious view looking up towards Cortona at sunset is absolutely breathtaking. I found Cortona to be lacking in restaurants offering eating al fresco, so I really craved for this setting and atmosphere.

The service is elegant but not overly fussy. The waitresses, all women, are friendly, beautiful and professional. The menu is prepared by Chef Gabriella, who favours the more traditional flavours of the Italian tradition. The restaurant offer a daily menu which is not always appreciated by the more difficult palates, however, I was glad of this opportunity because it forced me to try a variety of dishes which I would not normally choose but which I thoroughly enjoyed: prawns in a chickpea soup, homemade Pici with fresh tomatoes and crunchy bread crumbs, not to mention the limoncello tiramisu.

During dinner, I had the opportunity to speak with some guests of the hotel sitting at the table next to mine. They were Americans, for the second time in Italy at the Villa of Piazzano. They told me that this is their preferred place to spend their holidays in Italy, and that the chef this year is the best that the house has ever had.

I asked to have a few words with the chef who was obviously quite busy that evening in the kitchen. She spared a few moments to come out and say hello and invited me for breakfast the following morning promising to reveal some of her culinary secrets.

In the next post Chef Gabriella’s interview…….

Cortona is also famous for its gastronomic delights, based on excellent quality products such as an extremely delicate olive oil, try the one produced by Azienda Agricola Luigi D’Alessandro in Località Manzano (Tel. 0575 618667), and celebrated wines including Cortona DOC (Azienda Agricola La Calonica, località Capezzine, Tel. 0575 724119; Azienda Agricola Mario Baldetti, località Pietraia, Tel. 0575 67143).

Wine cellar

Here the real star is the meat of chianina cattle – certified and coming from Valdichiana cattle farms – with an excellent selection of cuts such as the noteworthy steak. Macelleria Carnevali (Frazione Mercatale, Tel. 0575 844243) is one of the area’s most well-known butchers. Another real treat are the typical local deli meats such as Tuscan finocchiona (soft salami flavoured with fennel), local raw hams, sambudelli (pork sausages) and pig’s liver. An interesting titbit of information – the term infinocchiare (hoodwink) comes from the finocchiona which the peasants offered to people going to buy their wine so as to alter the taste thanks to the large amounts of flavourings and spices contained in this particular type of salami.

The most typical local cheeses are made with sheep or goat’s milk such as raviggiolo packed in small wicker baskets.

Traditional sweets

For those with a sweet tooth, Cortona has some excellent cake shops where you can find local specialities such as cantucci (crunchy hazelnut biscuits), ossi di morto (literally “dead people’s bones” due to their flaky consistency) and ricciarelli (soft almond biscuits). We also recommend that you drop in to visit the terracotta and pottery handicrafts and antique furniture shops. Cortona can boast an age-old antiques tradition, with its side streets and alleyways containing dozens of specialist shops, as well as a National Antique Furniture Show, held every year in Palazzo Casali and Palazzo Vagnotti from the end of August to the beginning of September and an attraction for tourists from all over the world.

I am writing this article from the terrace of a beatiful Hotel in Cortona called Villa di Piazzano. I am connected in WIFI with my web site trying to organize my 2 days in Cortona.  This Hotel is the perfect starting point for my itinerary.

Cortona Town Hall

Situated at 600 metres above sea level, Cortona is positioned high over an unrivalled panorama which stretches as far as the Sienese mountains and Lake Trasimeno. A town of Etruscan origin which grew rapidly during the Medieval and Renaissance periods and left behind some important reminders of its past that are still perfectly conserved. Presumably the medieval city sprung up inside the Etruscan walls and was subsequently enlarged with the addition of some splendid Renaissance buildings.

The present day town is still enclosed within the ancient city walls which go up and down the slopes of Monte S. Egidio, stretching for almost three kilometres in total. Once inside the walls, the many historical monuments, which highlight the town’s various architectural styles, offer a feast for the eyes.

Heading along Via Nazionale on foot, you come to the airy Piazza della Repubblica where you can see the thirteenth century Palazzo Civico.

Etruscan bronze chandelier

A little further on you can find the most noble of all Cortona’s buildings. Palazzo dei Casali, now home to the prestigious and much renowned Museum of the Accademia etrusca (Visits –10am-1pm and 3pm-5pm, closed on Monday).
Established in 1727 as an extension of the Accademia etrusca, it contains some valuable antiques from Egyptian and late Roman times, a vast Library (visits on request) and numerous Etruscan ornaments including a famous bronze chandelier, dating from the 5th century BC. There are also works by Pinturicchio and Luca Signorelli, who was born in Cortona and was responsible for the frescoes seen in the Cathedral of Orvieto.

Continuing along Viale delle Mura Etrusche, do not miss the Diocesan Museum (Visits –from April to September, 9.30am-1pm and 3.30pm-7pm; from October to March, 10am-1pm and 3pm-5pm; closed on Monday) housed inside the Church of Gesù, right in front of the cathedral where you can see the stunning Annunciation by Beato Angelico, one of the Tuscan artist’s greatest works, in the upper church. Other works by Beato Angelico and Luca Signorelli are kept in the churches of San Domenico and San Niccolò, which are located in the bottom part of the town, together with the wonderful sanctuary of the Madonna del Calcinaio designed by Francesco di Giorgio, a work of Florentine and Brunelleschi inspiration considered to be the archetype of suburban sanctuaries of the period bridging the 1400 and 1500s.

Just a little distance away on the slopes of Monte Sant’Egidio, you can find Le Celle Hermitage, (to the northeast of the town centre, just outside Porta Colonia), a convent founded by St. Frances between 1211 and 1221 and built into the rock hanging over a torrent where you can visit the saint’s cell. Standing triumphantly on top of the hill is the Girifalco Fortress where you can look down over all Val di Chiana, closed in on the horizon by Monte Amiata, and Lake Trasimeno.