Cortona

Excursion from Florence to Cortona

Going on this trip, you will have the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful places in Tuscany – the Valdiquiana valley and get acquainted with one of the unique and charming, not often visited by tourists city. Not a large number of tourists is due to the fact that you can only get to Cortona by car. For people who want to take a tour in a quiet environment without a large number of tourists, this is a big plus. The walk starts from the observation deck, which offers a wonderful view of the surrounding area and Lake Trasimeno. A five-minute walk away is the museum, where you can see the artifacts of the Etruscan era. You will walk through very unusual and beautiful streets to the top of the hill to the old fortress, next to it is a very beautiful cathedral, which contains the relics of St. Marguerite. The guide will introduce you to the history of the city, tell you about the life of St. Marguerite. At the end of the tour, we will go back. For those who want to have lunch and taste wonderful Tuscan wines, we can stop by the winery, where you will be offered Tuscan cuisine and a large selection of wines. The best way to get to Cortona, see the place where the film "Under the Tuscan Sun" was shot, book a private one-day tour to Cortona. A private minivan with a driver will be with you throughout the tour, and a local guide in Cortona (not included in the tour price) will give you an interesting tour), you will spend a wonderful day in complete comfort.

Cortona is one of the oldest cities in Italy, and legend has it that it was founded by Noah's son, Crane, after the Flood. Cortona is called "the mother of Troy and the grandmother of Rome", according to legend, the hero Dardanus left Cortona and founded Troy, which Aeneas left centuries later to found Rome. Here you can see the Etruscan tomb of the IV century BC, which many believe to be the tomb of the Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras. Not far from Cortona is the Monastery of Celle, the first monastery founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1211. Cortona is located on the mountain of Monto Edigio and is located at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level. From the observation deck of the city, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Valdiquiana Valley and Lake Trasimeno. The unique architecture, narrow medieval streets and passageways, and the friendly and welcoming residents of the city will always remain in your memory. Evidence of this can be found in the book "Under the Tuscan Sun" by Frances Mays, written here at the Villa Bramasole. Later, a film of the same name was made, and Cortona served as the setting for this film, which made it famous all over the world.

What to enjoy during the tour:

Lunch at the winery-Tuscan cuisine combined with fine wines will give you pleasure and refresh you at the end of the tour.

Landmarks in Cortona:

• St. Margaret's Church (relics of St. Margaret)
• Medici Fortress
• The Etruscan Museum

Dear tourists, we invite you to visit the city of Cortona. You can choose the different duration and variation of the tour that is most suitable for you. You can explore the city on your own or with a professional guide.

Important information:

The price of the tour does not include the cost of a professional guide and the cost of tasting with lunch or dinner. If you want to order these services, please activate them in the "Additional services" field. The choice of the tasting option and the number of hours of the guide's work is made at the time of ordering. Tastings, lunch or dinner are paid by tourists separately, directly at the cash desks of the farms. The cost of guide services, paid by tourists to the guide at the end of the tour. When ordering a tour, a guarantee payment is paid in the amount of 13% of its cost, the remaining cost of the tour is paid by tourists to the driver at the end of it.

The guide is a vocation, our guides love and know their work well. They are tactful and professional, conduct excursions taking into account the wishes of tourists, and answer all your questions. A professional guide will tell you about the history, culture, traditional cuisine, draw your attention to important points, tell interesting stories from the life of local residents. A personal guide will plan the tour according to your wishes, guide you through the streets and places that are difficult to find yourself. The cost of a professional guide in Cortona is 50 € per hour. 

On the way back to Florence, we will make a stop at the winery, where you will have the opportunity to taste wonderful wines and enjoy the Tuscan cuisine.

Wine tasting-in combination with a full lunch or dinner, will give pleasure to gourmets. You will be offered to taste Vernaccia, Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Nobile and of course Supertoscan wines. Wine tasting should start vertically, from simple to complex. The winery offers snacks and dishes that are best suited to the type of wine served. For the simple ones, you will be offered Tuscan snacks consisting of cheese, prashutto, salami and herbs, for the more complex ones, Tuscan soup, lasagna and meat. For dessert, a wonderful dessert wine of Vin Santo combined with Cantuccini cookies. The cost of lunch or dinner at the winery with a tasting of 10 -12 wines, including Supertoscan wines is 35 € per person.

When booking an excursion with a visit to a tasting, lunch or dinner at the winery, the minimum duration of the tour must be at least 8 hours.

The duration of the tour is calculated from the moment of departure from the meeting place you specified until the moment of your return. When extending the tour, extra hours are paid at the rate of 35 € for each subsequent hour that exceeds the tour time specified when placing the order.

Travel time:

• from Florence to Cortona approximately 1 hour 25 minutes depending on the location of your hotel
• from Cortona to Florence approximately 1 hour 25 minutes depending on the location of your hotel
• from Cortona to the winery approximately 1 hour 10 minutes
• from the winery to Florence in about 50 minutes depending on the location of your hotel