Things to do in Cortona

Pienza

Pienza is situated on a ridge in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany and is a Renaissance town reborn thanks to a pope. Pius II was born here, and after being elected pope, he asked the Florentine architect Bernardo Rossellino to rebuild his hometown according to the Renaissance concept of an "ideal city," and renamed the town Pienza after his own papal name. The trapezoidal Piazza Pio II is surrounded by the cathedral, Palazzo Piccolomini, the Bishop's Palace, and the town hall. Here, the humanist urban ideal was transformed into a complete layout, and the appearance of the old town has been preserved largely as it was. When visiting, feel free to slow down: the cathedral features a rare, bright hall church layout, and it houses altarpieces from the Sienese school; the back of Palazzo Piccolomini faces an Italian garden with a three-story loggia, and from the railing, you can see the rolling wheat fields and cypresses of the Val d'Orcia, as well as Mt Amiata in the distance; the stone well in the square, engraved with the Piccolomini family coat of arms, was once imitated throughout Tuscany. Another signature of the old town is Pecorino cheese, and you can find varieties with different levels of aging in the cheese shops along the street; follow the alleys to the city walls, and you can overlook the entire valley and its countryside.

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Val d'Orcia

Val d'Orcia is named after the Orcia River. This vast rural area is famous for its rolling hills, rows of cypress trees, vineyards, and olive groves, making it a quintessential Tuscan landscape. The layout of the farmland, the distribution of settlements, and the natural environment form a harmonious and unique order. This view has inspired many artists and became a visual archetype of the ideal pastoral landscape during the Renaissance. Cypress-lined paths, solitary farmhouses on the hills, and the gullies formed by wind and rain erosion in the clay hills are all highly recognizable scenes here. The valley also produces Brunello wine and Pienza Pecorino cheese. Hiking or driving along the Via Francigena through the small towns is a common way to experience the local scenery.

Franciscan Hermitage "Le Celle"

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Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

• Known as the main church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence and the third largest church in the world • Consisting of the main church, bell tower and baptistery, it is not only large in scale, but also a representative building of the entire early Renaissance • The cathedral has a 19th-century Gothic Revival-style facade. Its exterior is paved with marble blocks of different shades of white, green and pink. The colors are colorful and harmonious △ In 1982, the cathedral was listed as a World Cultural Heritage as part of the historical center of Florence. After entering the church, you can climb up to the dome from the small door on the side. You need to climb 463 steps, and then overlook the entire city of Florence. △ The bell tower of the church is a Gothic building, 85 meters high. It consists of a six-story square structure stacked upward into a column. The outer wall is paved with white marble, which is pure and elegant, bringing more momentum to the majestic church.

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Piazza del Duomo

Piazza del Duomo is located in the heart of the historic center of Florence, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982. The square has been the city's religious center since the Middle Ages. In the late 13th century, surrounding residential buildings were demolished to build the new cathedral and bell tower, and it was gradually expanded over the following centuries to its current size. The square brings together three iconic buildings: theCathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto's Bell Tower, and The Baptistery of San Giovanni. Together, they form the "Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore complex," showcasing the evolution of architectural art in Florence from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The dome designed by Brunelleschi stands over 90 m high and is a striking visual focal point on the square's skyline. Historic buildings such as the Archbishop's Palace, the Cathedral Museum, and the Bigallo Museum are also located around the square. Standing in the center of the square and looking around, the facades of buildings from different eras and styles complement each other, making it a key location for experiencing the urban landscape of Florence.

Lake Trasimeno (Lago Trasimeno)

Lake Trasimeno (Lago Trasimeno) is located in the Province of Perugia and is the green heart of Italy. The scenery here is charming and perfect for photos.

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Uffizi Gallery

• Exhibits the private collection of the Medici family, including Botticelli's “Birth of Venus” and “Springtime”, Leonardo da Vinci's “Annunciation”, Raphael's “Virgin and Child with Saint Anna” and other works • Collect more than 100,000 precious exhibits, covering almost the entire history of art, from ancient Greek sculptures to 18th-century Venetian oil paintings • Learn about Renaissance works and review Italian classics △The Uffizi Gallery displays the private collection of the Medici family. The Medici family was an Italian aristocratic family with a long history. They collected many important Italian Renaissance works of art and donated them to the Uffizi Gallery, which became part of the Uffizi Gallery. △This is a gathering place for Renaissance paintings, including works by famous painters such as Botticelli, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo. They are divided into more than 90 exhibition halls according to creation time and creative genre.

Basilica of Saint Margaret of Cortona

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Pantheon

The Pantheon is one of the best-preserved buildings of ancient Rome. It was originally commissioned around 27 BC by Agrippa, a general under Augustus, and later destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt in the 2nd century AD by Emperor Hadrian and stands as a masterpiece of ancient Roman architectural skill. Michelangelo once called it "a design of angels." The Pantheon houses the tomb of Renaissance artist Raphael, as well as those of Italian kings Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto I and other historical figures. The building is located in the heart of Rome, with the Piazza della Rotonda as its forecourt. In the center of the piazza stands an Egyptian obelisk, and beneath its base the fountain foundation is adorned with stone carvings of dolphins and masks. The main structure is a massive cylinder of equal width and height, topped by a hemispherical dome, with no windows inside. The surrounding niches once housed statues of the gods in ancient Roman times; today they contain the tombs of notable figures from various eras. At the apex of the dome is a circular oculus about 9 meters in diameter, which serves as the main source of light for the interior. Sunlight pours down from above, changing angle as the sun moves, and light and shadow slowly travel across the floor and walls, creating a solemn spatial atmosphere.

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Colosseum

•This was once the place where gladiators fought to the death and condemned prisoners struggled against hungry lions, and it is also where the great symbol of eternal Rome stands. •Admire the magnificent architecture and imagine the epic battles that once took place here △The Colosseum was built on the original site of the opulent Domus Aurea and was completed in 80 AD. However, with the decline of the Roman Empire, the Colosseum was gradually abandoned and became overgrown with weeds. Later, the Colosseum suffered damage from earthquakes multiple times and even became a source of stone and marble for builders. What people see before them now is only the incomplete skeleton of the Colosseum, but its former glory can still be glimpsed. △On the first floor, you can clearly see the maze-like structure in the center of the Colosseum, which used to be the basement of the Colosseum, where the beasts and gladiators awaiting combat were held. △The entire outer wall of the Colosseum was built of limestone, and the arches (vomitoria) allowed spectators to enter quickly and take their seats. The recesses on the second and third floors were once filled with marble statues. The top of the wall was adorned with windows and slender Corinthian pilasters, and 240 wall posts supported the canvas awning that covered the Colosseum.