My Favorite Place in Tuscany
Hands down, Cortona -- about 50 minutes south of Florence in the Val di Chiana, just off the A1 Autostrada
Why this is My Top Pick for Tuscany
This ancient Etruscan hill town is alive and bustling with activity, and the traffice free center is heaven to relax and enjoy a Tuscan summer day. While it got its recent fame from Frances Mayes' book "Under the Tuscan Sun," it isn't overrun by tourists and has a genuine Tuscan feel to it. The local cucina tipica (typical food) is fantastic. You must go.
Advice
- Stay at a B&B in the traffic free core. You will want to walk everywhere here. There is nothing like taking cappuccini and cornetti (croissants) on the central square in the morning hours.
- Saturday is the weekly open air market in the 2 central squares. Buy a panini of porchetta from one of the vendors.
- THE best place for local food and wine is "Taverna Pane e Vino" ("bread and wine"). Arnaldo and Debora Rossi run this cute place right in the center of town.
