Oct 26 Day 22 Cortona

I took the bus to Arezzo and changed to another one for Cortona, and during the trip there was a wonderful “small world” moment when I met a couple from North Carolina, Marilyn and Rod.  Rod plays banjo in a Dixieland Band, which is interesting in itself, but what made it more amazing is that we realized that in 2003, his band played at my Dad’s 80th birthday party!

Cortona was made famous (too famous, actually) by Frances Mayes in her books Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany.  The town was full of Americans, some Canadians, and very few Italians, as far as I could tell.  The Italians that I saw were either owners of tourist shops or construction workers, remodeling and restoring for “luxury residences” - all written in English.  It is funny how I can feel embarrassed by it, being American, but these small lovely towns should not be our little sandboxes.  I think it is better to visit, marvel, learn and enjoy -and not possess -these little towns.

The first day, I visited the Diocesan Museum and, naturally, saw a lot of religious art.  There is an interesting 2nd century Roman sarcophagus, some beloved paintings by the town’s son Luca Signorelli, and a gorgeous Annunciation.  The churches and monasteries are also lovely, some very small, and the views from the top of Cortona are spectacular.  It was very windy and cold, with pots being smashed in the piazzas and people pulling on hats and gloves, so I was happy to be inside for a nice meal and call it an early night.