CORTONA - THE ETRUSCAN TOWN
Cortona was an Etruscan town that today offers many important remains: the outer walls, the bronze lamp from the 5th. century BC, the majestic tombs of noble families with the latest discovery, the Melone II of Sodo, dating back to the 7th. century BC.
The Etruscan town welcomes its visitors not only on behalf of the "Lucumoni" (the ancient Etruscan lords), but also on behalf of its popular patron saint, Saint Margaret of Cortona along with San Francis of Assisi who founded the hermitic monastery of "Le Celle" in Cortona.
It was one of the most evolved medieval city-states, still profuse with pure renaissance forms;
The Calcinaio church, Francesco di Georgio Martini's masterpiece.
The present perimeter is about 3 Km. And it coincides, for almost 2/3, with that one of the ancient Etruscan town-walls, on which the present walls are built.
The Etruscan remains can be distinguished from the overhanging walls which were built during the Middle Ages, because they are made of huge quadrangular rocks. On the hilltop of the cortonese's hill is the Medicean fortress required by the Medici family and built by Francesco Laparelli in 1549.
Cortona, hometown to so many famous painters from Luca Signorelli to Pietro Berrettini da Cortona to Gino Severini. And then the last little secret about Cortona: some ancient historians suggested that Ulysses was buried here! It is only a legend, but what an extraordinary one!
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YOUR WAY TO FLORENCE SUGGESTS:
IL MELONE
Residence, Hotel, Restaurant
Steeped in the uniquely beautiful Tuscan countryside and its harmony and taste where old stones and bricks make your stay in the Borgo Il Melone, a memorable experience as for style and elegance and comfort and relax.
The Borgo Il Melone is an oasis of peace and quiet, ideal for those who would like to enjoy traditional local atmosphere.
Here you can find an excellent Restaurant, a swimming pool with cabanas, a large parking area, and grand rooms for meetings and cultural events. All of this is accompanied, of course, looking toward the hill, by the view of Cortona and its marvels, then. looking down to the valley, by the unmistakable charm of the eternal resting place of the Etruscan Princes.
"Il Melone" Residence, Hotel, Restaurant
Loc. il Sodo Case Sparse, 38
52042 Cortona - Arezzo
Tel. +39 575 603330
Fax. +39 575 630001
go to "Il Melone" website
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