Arezzo and Cortona: the back story

About Arezzo and Cortona: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Tuscany Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Eastern Tuscany is quieter than Chianti: Arezzo, a prosperous old city with a famous sloping square, and Cortona, a steep Etruscan hill town looking over the Val di Chiana to Lake Trasimeno.

Arezzo

The Piazza Grande, Vasari’s loggia and the churches of the old town.

Cortona

Steep lanes, the MAEC museum of Etruscan Cortona and views to Lake Trasimeno; Il Falconiere holds a star.

Arezzo’s antiques fair fills the Piazza Grande on the first weekend of each month.

Around

Il Borro in the Valdarno, Anghiari’s Da Alighiero and the Casentino forests.

Our advice: Arezzo is on the main railway line, an easy day from Florence.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Arezzo and Cortona: the back story before you go.