Using Cortona as a base
 

We're considering using Cortona as our base for several days in Tuscany. Good idea?
We'll probably have a car -- so parking would be an issue -- but also would like to use the train when possible to get to the larger towns. Would some other place be better?
TY

What time of year?

Cortona is a big turn-off for me in the high season. You can hardly hear any Italian spoken on the streets, and the prices for everything from a bottle of water to a glass of wine to a sandwich are jacked up for tourists. And yes, parking is an issue. There are lots of better places, most of them IMO in Umbria.

It's a lovely place in the off-season.

I would be there in early-to-mid-June.
If not Cortona, where?

Cortona is very hilly and IMO difficult to navigate, on foot and with car parking.
We used a villa I read about over 20 years ago on slowtrav and loved it. I look forward to returning. It may be too far north for you but we used it as a base for day trips for a week and the car was literally steps away from our door. Very reasonable. Gorgeous place -
Vacation Rentals in Tuscany Villa Le Torri,Holiday Apartments in Chianti,Tuscany

Thanks, but I'm not leaning toward a villa-type stay. Would prefer to be in a town where restaurants, etc., are walkable and there's a train station.

I gave up on Tuscany years ago after many, many visits, when it became clear that it was headed toward being an expat paradise, like Provence, instead of a real regional experience (yes, we can argue about this and there is a whole lot of "real" life still going on in Tuscany and Provence, but it's not anything like what it was 25 years ago - what is?).

Cortona is reachable from the upper limits of Umbria, and when I visit it, which isn't often because it just doesn't do much for me, I usually come from Panicale or thereabouts, or Città della Pieve, or from one of the towns on Lago Trasimeno, like Castiglione del Lago or Magione or Passignano, or from Orvieto.

I love this area of Umbria because it's so easy to drive up into the mountains to the old Roman spas and languish for a day or two in ancient springs. But that's MY idea of a good vacation, not everyone's. And then there's all the Etruscan history.........not to mention the beautiful countryside and incomparable Umbrian food.

I understand what you're saying about Tuscany. (And don't get me started about the differences in Italy from 25 years ago.) Truth is, it's about the only area of Italy I haven't visited precisely because of what it's become. But I figured I was missing something and should stop in the area. I have been rethinking this but wanted to hear what people had to say about Cortona in particular. You mentioned Orvieto. Recommended?

You can pick a town out of a hat, or you can find a town central to the sightseeing you want to do.

I like Orvieto, but it's too far from places I would want to see on a first trip to Tuscany, especially as I prefer to drive the more interesting (but slower) secondary roads rather than the boring autostrada. Even the Val d'Orcia towns would be a bit too far for me.

So, do you know what you want to see/do, where you want to explore? How many days is "several"?

I'm not just interested in whether the town is central. Also would like to know if it's a place worth staying itself.
Right now, "several" is "several." It's part of a larger trip that's still in the planning stages.

Yes, Orvieto is big and central. It's got considerable attractions and is a lovely town. I love Orvieto for a daytime visit. I'm always more comfortable in the countryside, though.

Driving from and returning to a smaller town is easier and less time consuming than even a medium-sized town like Orvieto. Most towns don't allow you to park inside the limited traffic zone (ZTL) unless your hotel has its own parking lot (there are a couple), so you park outside the zone and walk in/out.

we spent a week in Cortona. We went to Tuscan towns one day but the rest of the time we explored Umbria, next to Cortona.

We found Orvieto a very easy base with a car for daytrips. Granted, we were doing trips to Todi,Deruta, Civita di Bagnoreggio, not Tuscany. Agree its too far south for easily visiting most of Tuscany.

Orvieto has a large public parking garage basically at the opposite end of town. You park there, take a series of underground escalators up to town. We happened to be staying at Palazzo Piccolomini, right where the escalators bring you to town level. Perfect.

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Thanks. What time of year were you there? We could revise our trip to make it more about Umbria. From what you're saying, it could work for us.

We were there in May. I will be returning in April this year. I left that the car park is at the opposite end of town from the train station.

Tuscany and Umbria are both wonderful. I think you need to decide first what areas you want to visit, then lodging. There are many places that make a good base for day trips.

One thing I have found, which someone mentioned above, is that staying in a very small village or countryside agritourismo, or bnb and driving to other hill towns for the day, is really easy. Just consider evening dining options if you choose a countryside location. Do they serve dinner? Do you want more selection for dining?

Besides some towns in western Umbria, there are many interesting sights within a reasonable drive from Orvieto. They are just not the places mentioned in most Tuscany guides.

The area of Pitigliano, Sorano and Sovana are particularly fascinating (at least to me). Nearby is the "lost" city of Vitozza. You could probably see all in a single, well-planned but long day. We spent two days in this area because we wanted to walk parts of the ancient Etruscan roads (vie cave).

https://www.discovertuscany.com/mare...ighlights.html

https://www.discovertuscany.com/mare...scan-town.html

https://www.discovertuscany.com/mare...scan-town.html

https://www.visittuscany.com/en/itin...ano-to-sovana/



One of the odder attractions you could visit from Orvieto is the Monster Park at Bomarzo.

And this site mentions other options:

https://www.orvietoviva.com/en/orvieto-day-trips/

For a first time in Tuscany, the towns of Montepulciano Pienza, and Montalcino are the most
popular choices. All 3 are very enjoyable with amazing scenery, nice strolling, shops and a good selection of restaurants. There are other places of interest to visit within a beautiful drive. Montepulciano is the largest, Montalcino the steepest Pienza is flat.

I think you need to give up the idea of a hill town with a train station. Some have one nearby, but driving is a joy!

We stayed in Cortona as our base for a week in 2000 and absolutely loved it. We went back in 2013 and it had lost some of it's charm due to the number of Americans there. We did have a car - the train station is actually below Cortona in Camucia if I recall correctly.

We were in Montepulciano for a week last year and absolutely loved it! We were staying a few minutes outside the town as it was a large family reunion and we needed a lot of space. The town of Montepulicano has many restaurants, shops, nearby wineries, etc. And the drives were easy and every drive we took had the most beautiful tuscan scenery you would expect to see. We visited Pienza, Montichiello, San Quirico, Deruta and a few others I can't recall.

We also love Umbria and have used Spello as a base for a week. There is a train station there as well, however we had a car. Driving is easy in Tuscany and Umbria - just avoid driving into Florence or other busier cities. Spello is a beautiful hilltown and in June should be lovely with flowers everywhere. The infiorata also takes place in Spello in early June - we saw that once and it was beautiful although I prefer the town not as crowded. There are great restaurants and a few nice shops. Easy day trips from Spello are Assisi, Deruta (we love ceramics), Bevagna, Montefalco and we also visited Cortona from here.

I hope you have a great trip!

We've stayed in San Quirico on 6 different occasions since 1999, for a total of 10 weeks - and loved it. Perfect location, IMO. Not as touristy as Pienza or Montepulciano. We have been there in March/April (favorite time to be there) June, and Sept/Oct. Our closest friends had an Apt there, but when they sold it we've rented this place for 2 trip of 2 weeks each.
https://www.casaosenna.com/

We have visited Cortona on several occasions - and have been underwhelmed.

Attached is my Italy itinerary - whith a heavy dose of Tuscany.

Stu Dudley

Very good info from all. Will definitely use in our planning. TY.