Has anyone been there? We are going there for a couple of days and are thinking of signing up for for wine tasting, horse back riding, maybe cooking classes. Does anyone have suggestions?
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
I was there one summer a few yrs back. The town is nice, very hilly we enjoyed just walking around and having breakfast on the square. We stayed at a convent which was very convenient. It was spartan but allowed us to park our car free behind a gate. We slept very well, indeed.
It is alot quieter than other tuscan hill,towns imo.
Posted by
Ohio
35 posts
Sorry I cannot recommend anything to your extracurriculars but Cortona is certainly worth visiting, it is one of my favorite towns. It is VERY HILLY but charming.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8022 posts
The Diocesan Museum has some very important Renaissance paintings, and is rarely crowded. When planning, keep in mind the elevation of the Old part of town. I think the train station (we had a car) is hundreds of feet lower down. So where each group meets makes a big difference. Even the search for a parking space left us climbing stairs to get somewhere.
If you can get to Castiglione del Lago, it's a lovely visit nearby, and has a beach on the huge lake. Others have said there's good food, but we didn't eat there on our visit. I personally couldn't bike so far, but the Aviognesi Winery is a worthwhile high-end wine visit, booking and advance pay essential, gourmet lunch in a lovely, airy restaurant also available, with coordinated tastings. (Drunken driving warning ... ... )
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thank you everyone!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32393 posts
Cortona doesn't have a lot of sightseeing attractions, but IMHO it's worth a visit for a few days. Unfortunately I don't have any information on the activities you mentioned.
You may enjoy watching (or reading) Under The Tuscan Sun prior to your visit. Andre Rieu filmed a concert in Cortona a few years ago, and it's a lot of fun to watch. Here's a clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTX91UTZ9Tc .
Posted by
Monterey County, CA (formerly Verbania Italy-Lago Maggiore)
1648 posts
We stayed in a farmhouse outside of Cortona for a week back in 2011. One day we did a cooking class. The “teacher” picked us up in town (with 4 other American woman) went shopping for ingredients at local stores, brought us to her home and we spent the day learning and participating in cooking our meal. Much wine was consumed and we were dropped off at 8pm back in Cortona. We had a great time and have all the recipes we cooked that day. After that I’ve only made homemade pasta and ragu from her recipes.
Here’s link on Trip Advisor
alessandras cooking school
Posted by
Jersey Shore
339 posts
And the villa from "Under the Tuscan Sun" is just a 30-45 minute walk outside of town.. We found Cortona to be very cute, although we were only there for a half day visit.
Posted by
Oakland, CA
124 posts
Cortona is a lovely town as is the surrounding countryside. We have spent time (and going back next Fall) at a villa within viewing distance from Cortona. We took cooking lessons at a local restaurant called Francesca’s, not too far from Cortona: http://ristorantelacasadifrancesca.it/
Very fun. I’m sure the food served at the restaurant is good too.
Also if you do go to Castiglione del Lago, check out this wine shop. We also had some good beer there plus antipasti: https://www.angolodelbuongustaio.com/
The website looks to be in Italian but at least one of the owners speaks English.
Another excellent restaurant, between Cortona and Castiglione, is Ristorante la
Enjoy your trip!