In this section: Perugia | Cortona
Our Well Being Break at the Villa Mignola is located about 5km north of Perugia, the largest city in Umbria, and about 25km from Cortona, one of the most beautiful towns in eastern Tuscany. Both of highly recommended for an extended visit and are fine examples of what you can find in Italy when away from the main cities of Rome, Florence, etc.
Perugia was once the most powerful city of the Etruscans, a people whose culture was almost totally suppressed by the Romans. It was conquered by the Roman leader Octavian in 40BC and its former city fathers can still be seen at a large subterranean gravesite in the south east of the city.
It is built along several hills and looks out across the valley of the Tiber. At one time, Perugia contained Italy’s largest fortress, the Rocca Paolina, built on the orders of Pope Paul III to “tame the arrogance of the people of Perugia”. The fortifications were destroyed in 1860 but the huge foundations remain and provide an amazing place to visit – inside you are immersed in a world of mighty halls, ramps and vaults, all lit in a strange yellowish twilight.
The most obvious starting point for exploring the city is the Corso Vannucci, a spacious thoroughfare across the top of the hill on which the centre of the old town is located.
Lined with gorgeous buildings, bars and sidewalk cafes, it is typically full of people ambling along – the Italian ritual of passeggiata. It stretches from the Rocca Paolina as far as the Piazza IV Novembre, which forms the heart of Perugia, and which contains the cathedral and the huge and extraordinary Fontana Maggiore. Close by is the Piazza San Franceso where St Francis preached.
The city is an art-lovers dream, being home to many famous works by artists such as the local artist Perugino, Fra Angelico and Piero della Francesca. Many examples of these can be found in the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria located above the town hall.
Other highlights include the Collegio del Cambio, the medieval headquarters of the city’s moneylenders and heavily decorated with frescos by Perugino – one of the finest Renaissance rooms in Italy.
Around 45mins drive from Perugia, Cortona is the most important town in the province of Arezzo in eastern Tuscany. It is 650 metres high on a ridge of Monte Sant’Egidio, a
nd is high enough to be noticeably cooler than the valley below. The town is actually a massive fortress and is accessible only via a series of dizzy hairpin bends.
It is a must-see place when visiting the eastern side of Tuscany or western Umbria. The whole of the town is surrounded by an intact wall, some of which dates back to the town’s Etruscan origins. The main street (Via Nazionale) and surrounding area features a host of small shops, our favourite being “Il Girasole” which mainly sells reproduction Etruscan artefacts and has a Myrna bird that will speak to you in Italian. From the end of the main street, there are panoramic views across the valley towards Lake Trasimeno in the distance. This is one of the largest lakes in Italy and was where Hannibal’s troops defeated the Romans in April 217 B.C. during the Second Punic War.
Another highlight of a trip to Cortona is the Museo Diocesano, in the Piazza Duomo. This houses several great masterpieces of renaissance painting including Fra Angelico’s Annunciation, and many works by Signorelli, the latter being a local Cortonese artist after whom one of the main squares in the town is named.
The town is of Etruscan origin, predating the Romans by several hundred years in this part of Italy. The Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca holds an exceptional collection of Etruscan, Roman and Egyptian artefacts as well as pieces from the Renaissance era.
Many of you will perhaps have read “Under the Tuscan Sun” by Frances Mayes or maybe seen the film based loosely on it. This tells the story of the renovation of an abandoned villa in Tuscany and explores the various facets of the Italian landscape, history, art and cuisine. Mayes’ house, “Bramasole”, is on the east side of Cortona.
