Hi-

I have been researching Cortona, a city that my sister would very much like to see. However, I have read some negative reviews including being very crowded and rude locals. I am sure they have been overrun since "Under the Tuscan Sun" We are staying near San Gimignano for approx. 10 days in May 08. Opinions? Grazie!

Hi Zns - I think Cortona is a delight.

Yes - it can be busy in summer, but it's definitely worth a trip

As for rude locals, that's certainly never been my experience ...

Steve

I like Cortona and have stayed there more than once. However I do not think it is the ideal place to visit in one day.
Volterra seems to me more interesting for instance, or other towns in Toscana andUmbria. I believe to enjoy Cortona is necessary to stay in and drive to some of the intereting nearby sites.

I would not go to Cortona from San Gimignano. There are so many more beautiful and exciting things to see closer to where you are staying. I liked Cortona, but it didn't really thrill me. It's beautiful to come upon it after the boring drive through a flat uninteresting landscape . . . seeing it perched high above the plain. But there are certainly prettier towns in Tuscany.

I spent a few days in Cortona during a hiking tour and liked it a lot.
It's a bit larger than the typical Tuscan hill town, but it has more to offer in the way of cultural interest.
The food is also wonderful and I never encountered rudeness from the locals.

As you can see from the comments on this thread, it all boils down to personal preference. If your sister really wants to see it, then why not just go for a day? Since you will be there in May, it will be less crowded than in the summer months.

I can't comment either way on how accessible it is from San Gim, but if you have a car it should not be a problem.

There is a word in the English language - Charisma - very difficult to define.

Walk down the street, see Nicole Kidman and you get a feeling.

In the evening, walk down the streets of Pienza, San Quirico or San Gimignano (after the crowds have gone back to their cruise ships) and you feel it.

In Cortona it is absent - we found it best viewed from a distance and when you arrived the distance is best viewed.

How about Lucca? It's not really close but not too far away and a great, lively small city. NW of SG. Lots of students, fun shopping, people riding bicycles all over town. Found it more interesting than Cortona.

We did a day trip to Cortona from our house near San Gimignano last summer and were so glad we did. The drive was about 2 hours on good roads. Cortona is very different from the towns in Chianti, so it was a nice change, and it is delightful. Plus it has a fabulous Etruscan museum and in another tiny museum, the most beautiful work of art I have ever seen, Fra Angelico's Annunciation. A day trip is not ideal, but we know we want to visit Cortona again and stay longer.