Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Train -- Cortona doesn't have its own station, but two stops on the main Rome-Arezzo line serve it. The nearer one, Camucia/Cortona (tel. 0575-603-018), is just 5km (3 miles) from town, but only local trains stop here. More trains stop at Terontola/Cortona (tel. 0575-67-034) station, 11km (7 miles) from town. It's about a 25-minute ride from Arezzo (26 daily), 1 hour (2 hr. on the slow line) from Florence (24 daily), and 2 hours from Rome (15 daily). To save time, you can buy tickets at Cortona's tourist office.

From both stations, LFI buses leave about every 30 minutes for Cortona. At Camucia you can buy tickets at the bar outside the station or, if it's closed, the tabacchi up the street near the next bus stop.

By Car -- From Arezzo, take the SS71 and turn off for Cortona at Il Sodo (especially for Il Falconiere hotel) or Camucia. From Florence or Rome, take the A1 to the Valdichiana exit and follow the SS326 (direction: Perugia) until the Cortona exit at Appallo. This same highway originates in Siena. There is some parking in town, but your best bet is the free lot outside Porta Santa Maria.

By Bus -- LFI bus lines run from Arezzo (more than 20 daily; 35-60 min.), Montepulciano (one early afternoon run on school days; 1 1/2 hr.), and several other, smaller places in the area.

Visitor Information

The APT office is at Via Nazionale 42 (tel. 0575-630-353; fax 0575-630-656). May through September, it's open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 1pm and 3 to 7pm and Sunday from 9am to 1pm and 3:30 to 6:30pm; October through April, hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 1pm and 3 to 6pm and Saturday from 9am to 1pm.

Festivals & Markets

On a Sunday in late May, the town turns out in late-14th-century costume for crossbow competitions in the annual Giostro dell'Archiado. At the end of July, Cortona takes part in the Umbria Jazz festival (Umbria is just across the border), and a well-regarded antiques fair is held in late August/early September (tel. 0575-630-610 for info). From August 14 to August 15, Cortona celebrates the mighty Chiana Valley beefsteak with a Sagra della Bistecca, holding a huge communal barbecue in the Parterre Gardens. Market day is Saturday.