Central Tuscany: the Best of Cortona

New and Expanded 2018 to 2019 Edition

The latest edition of the Cortona guidebook is the most comprehensive in English. It invites you to view its excellent churches and museums and to experience the culture.

Founded by Noah after the ark sailed up the Tiber - if you believe the legends - it sits high on a steep hill that overlooks much of Tuscany's Valdichiana from Lake Trasimeno in Umbria in the south to Civitella in the north. The...
More Description

New and Expanded 2018 to 2019 Edition

The latest edition of the Cortona guidebook is the most comprehensive in English. It invites you to view its excellent churches and museums and to experience the culture.

Founded by Noah after the ark sailed up the Tiber - if you believe the legends - it sits high on a steep hill that overlooks much of Tuscany's Valdichiana from Lake Trasimeno in Umbria in the south to Civitella in the north. The book helps you:

• learn about the art and sites of Cortona,
• get an idea of mobility accessibility,
• use GPS coordinates for navigating,
• decode religious art,
• decide if a site is something that interests you, and
• cook from my Tuscan family's recipes.

Enjoy Cortona's museums and landmarks:

• Sit on the steps of the Palazzo Comunale in the Piazza Repubblica and watch people. Someone you know is sure to walk by.
• Wander around Piazza Signorelli and Teatro Signorelli.
• Learn about the history of Cortona from the seventh century BC Etruscans to the ancient Romans to modern times at the Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca e della Città (MAEC), one of the finest in Tuscany.
• Visit an active Etruscan excavation at the Melone Sodo II site at the bottom of the Cortona hill.
• Examine the superb quality art at the Museo Diocesano, the best small museum in Tuscany with several paintings of Luca Signorelli and other Renaissance masters, and modern works of art.

Visit several interesting churches including:

• Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta, the town's cathedral next to the Museo Diocesano.
• Chiesa di San Domenico and its magnificent altarpiece.
• Chiesa di San Francesco with relics of St. Francis and the True Cross.
• Tiny Chiesa di San Niccolò with its back-to-back Signorelli paintings.
• Santuario di Santa Margherita. Venerate the incorrupt remains of Santa Margherita at the top of the Cortona hill.

Bonus Materials

• authentic recipes from my Italian family
• descriptions of restaurants
• a couple of hotel suggestions

Reader Comments about the Central Tuscany series:

"Basic guide to a Tuscan City. I intend to take it with me when I go there. Very handy guide."

"He takes you through lesser-known villages and churches in the same detail that the big commercial guides provide for the usual must-sees, so that you come to understand what a cultural wealth is to be found in even the most out-of-the-way places."

Contacts and Social Media

Contact: scott.grabinger@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/scott.grabinger
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scott-grabinger-3890b073
Photo Galleries: www.grabinger.com

Book descriptions: www.insidetuscanybooks.com
Tuscan itinerary ideas: www.insidetuscanytours.com

List of Books

• Walking the Aqueduct: Tuscan Adventures and Culture
• Central Tuscany: Arezzo
• Central Tuscany: Eight Valdichiana Hill Towns
• Central Tuscany: Le Crete and the Val d'Orcia
• Central Tuscany: Casentino and Valtiberina
• Central Tuscany: Best of Cortona

NOTE: The 2018/2019 version reports changes in the sites described, adds additional information, and uses a new format with more and larger pictures.