At a height of 650m, amidst vineyards and olive groves,
Cortona looks out over one of Italy's largest and most
harmonious panoramic landscapes.
The town's origins are lost in legend and mystery. Virgil
claims that Dardanus founded Cortona before traveling
to the Orient to found Troy. Greek writers such as Theopompus,
Aristotle and Lycophrone say that Odysseus died in Cortona.
What is certain is that Cortona was one of the twelve
Etruscan Lucumonies. The Greeks called the town Croton;
Tito Livio, Cortona, while Virgil in the Aeneid refers
to it as Corytus. The town's massive walls testify to
its Etruscan past as does the splendid collection of
Etruscan artifacts in the Etruscan Academy Museum which
also houses other valuable historical and artistic works.
The recent discovery in the Sodo
area of the monumental tomb known as 'Melon 2' which
dates from the first half of the 6th century BC has
redefined Cortona's fundamental role in the history
of Etruscan civilization and art.
In the time of Lucio Cornelius Silla,
Cortona was a Roman colony. On June the 24th 217 BC,
during the course of the second Punic war, one of the
most famous and bloody battles took place on the edge
of Lake Trasimeno when Hannibal beat the Roman army
led by the consul, Flaminio. During the Barbarian invasions
Cortona was destroyed by the Goths in 450 AD and nothing
more is recorded of the town until the 13th century
when the Community emerged free and prosperous, coining
its own currency and often in open war with Arezzo.
Politically a Ghibelline town, Cortona received visits
and privileges from the Emperors Frederick II of Sweden
and Henry VII of Luxembourg.
As a result of its political astuteness
and merit, the Casali family governed the city from
1325 until 1409.
From 1529 Cortona followed the fortunes
of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany; first under the Medicis,
then from 1737 under the Lorena family. Finally, with
the plebiscite of 1860, the town became part of the
United Kingdom of Italy. The town's buildings, churches
and illustrious citizens bear witness to its Medieval
and Renaissance past.
Palazzo Casali is one of the town's
most important and noble buildings. Its façade
from the early 1600's was designed by Filippo Berrettini
and the interior is from the XIV century when it was
the home of the governing Casali family. Today it houses
the Etruscan Academy and library with their valuable
historical collections.
The Town Hall. Evidence of the oldest
XIII century parts of this building, including the Council
Hall, are clearly visible on the side walls that lie
between Piazza della Repubblica and Piazza Signorelli.
The bell tower and main staircase are later additions
from the XVI century.
Palazzo Passerini. Built in the 1200's
was the residence of the Captain of the People. Together
with the Town Hall it dominated the medieval town centre.
In 1514 it was given to Cardinal Silvio Passerini and
it was here in the following year when he received his
friend Pope Leo X.
Palazzo Mancini-Sernini. This building
at the top of Via Guelfa is today the home of the Banca
Popolare di Cortona. A barely visible inscription on
its elegantly ornamented facade attests that it was
built in 1533. Nearby on the left at numbers 11 and
15 are two other notable Renaissance buildings, the
former tastefully converted into a comfortable and elegant
hotel.
The Churches. Waiting to greet the
visitor on the southern hillside slope is the Church
of S. Maria delle Grazie al Calcinaio, a Renaissance
masterpiece by the Sienese artist Francesco di Giorgio
Martini (1439-1502). This church is one of the many
of varying dimensions and from earlier and later periods
that rise majestically from their surroundings or nestle
among the houses ready to catch the eye unexpectedly
with their originality of design and harmony of line.
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