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Brought into the limelight by Frances Mayes's book Under the Tuscan Sun and a subsequent movie, Cortona is no longer the destination of just a few specialist art historians and those seeking reprieve from busier tourist venues. The main street, Via Nazionale, is now lined with souvenir shops and crowds during summer. Though the main sights of Cortona make braving the crowds worthwhile, much of the town's charm lies in its maze of quiet backstreets. It's here that you will see laundry hanging from windows and children playing, and catch the smell of simmering pasta sauce. Wander off the beaten track and you won't be disappointed.
Housed in part of the original cathedral structure, this nine-room museum has an impressive number of large, splendid paintings by native son Luca Signorelli (1445–1523), as well as a delightful Annunciation by Fra Angelico (1387/1400–55). The church was built between 1498 and 1505 and restructured by Giorgio Vasari in 1543. Frescoes depicting sacrifices from the Old Testament by Doceno (1508–56), based on designs by Vasari, line the walls.
Legend has it that the image of the Madonna appeared on a wall of a medieval calcinaio (lime pit used for curing leather), the site on which the church was then built between 1485 and 1513. The linear gray-and-white interior recalls Florence's Duomo. Sienese architect Francesco di Giorgio (1439–1502) most likely designed the sanctuary: the church is a terrific example of Renaissance architectural principles.
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