Cortona, Tuscany, Italy
Cortona is a town with really amazing atmosphere and many charms. Since it is located on a slope, steep streets are its very characteristic element. At the streets you can see many picturesque old houses, mostly built of stone. On the hill you can find the Fortezza del Girifalco. It is a fortress built by Cosimo I de' Medici upon the old fortifications, dating back to Etruscan. The walls surrounding the city have the length of 3 km and contain a lot of Etruscan elements.
Parking in Cortona
This time we decided to drive a car up to the very walls of the town and park it there (P1; GPS: 43.273576, 11.983348). Because the parking lot was almost full of cars, it is worth remembering that there is also a second, larger parking lot called Parcheggio dello Spirito Santo (P2; GPS: 43.273296, 11.985975).
The Old Town
Then we went through the gate (A; GPS: 43.273153, 11.983964) in the town's walls and walked the steep street Via Guelfa in the direction of Piazza della Republica (B; GPS: 43.275022, 11.985405) - the town center. This square contains several distinctive buildings, among others Pallazzo Communale with a centrally located clock tower and beautiful staircase, and Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo from the twelfth century. The next part of the tour is another square: Piazza Luca Signorelli (C; GPS: 43.275499, 11.985127). In the square you can find the museum Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca e città di Cortona and the Signorelli Theatre. From the square you can approach the Duomo di Cortona (D; GPS: 43.276403, 11.984033), or go down Via Giuseppe Maffei in the direction of the church of St. Francis (E; GPS: 43.275359, 11.986555) or just walk other unique streets of the Old Town.
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