Cortona Pictures

Cortona is an interesting medieval hill town made famous by Francis Mayes in her book Under the Tuscan Sun. Cortona occupies a scenic setting in Tuscany and has great views of the picturesque valley below. Cortona is surrounded by Etruscan walls, has a good Etruscan museum, and the plain below Cortona is dotted with Etruscan tombs. Take a look at our Cortona Pictures and find out where Cortona is with our Tuscany Map.

Cortona makes a nice place to spend some time on your travels to Italy and is a convenient base for exploring Tuscany, Umbria, and Northern Lazio. Since there's a big expat community in Cortona, English-speaking tourists can get by easily there. If you have a car you might consider staying in a bed and breakfast or agriturismo (definition of agriturismo) in the beautiful area around Cortona. Respite Italia has several vacation rental properties near Cortona.

Many people besides Francis Mayes have written about living in Tuscany. Here's my selection for the Top Ten Books About Tuscany, including Under the Tuscan Sun, with links to compare prices at online books stores.

_{Photo of Cortona © 2006 by James Martin, licensed to about.com}