ortona, an ancient Etruscan town, has several historical and archeological sites of great interest and a fantastic Etruscan Museum. American writer Frances Mayes has sung Cortona's praises in her books "Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy" and "Bella Tuscany", drawing international attention to this Tuscan hill town. Cortona's contributions to art history include, among others, the paintings of Beato Angelico in its many churches and in the Diocesan Museum, and Francesco di Giorgio Martini's splendid Renaissance church of Madonna del Calcinaio. Cortona was also the birthplace of 17th century architect and painter Pietro da Cortona. Cortona today hosts the Scuola Normale di Pisa and the University of Georgia's Lamar Dodd School of Art.
As to its winemaking tradition, that too goes back to the Etruscans, although today the grape varieties grown at Cortona are mostly foreign: Cabernet, Merlot, Gamay, Pinot and Chardonnay. After all, neither the invasion of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany by Napoleon's army nor the xenophile tendencies of the Tuscans at the time should be underestimated! Early 20th-century photographs show the existence of some very dense vineyards (7,000 grapevines per hectare), such as the vineyard of Vigna del Melone, in the vicinity of Cortona, at a place where the town of Camucia stands today.
Cortona D.O.C. was established in 1999 thanks to the efforts of Cortona's best winegrowers, who helped single out homogenous wine production techniques, as well as the characteristics of the area's soil and its microclimate. Cortona D.O.C. covers the municipal territories of Cortona situated at an altitude of at least 850 feet above sea level.
Consorzio Vini Cortona
c/o Cortona Sviluppo Spa
Via Guelfa, 40
52044 Cortona (AR)
ITALY
phone: (+39) 0575/630158
fax: (+39) 0575/630227
This page was written by Stefano Milioni. Background image and most photos in this section courtesy of Giuliano Bugialli, all right reserved (see Copyright and Credits).
ortona, an ancient Etruscan town, has several historical and archeological sites of great interest and a fantastic Etruscan Museum. American writer Frances Mayes has sung Cortona's praises in her books "Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy" and "Bella Tuscany", drawing international attention to this Tuscan hill town. Cortona's contributions to art history include, among others, the paintings of Beato Angelico in its many churches and in the Diocesan Museum, and Francesco di Giorgio Martini's splendid Renaissance church of Madonna del Calcinaio. Cortona was also the birthplace of 17th century architect and painter Pietro da Cortona. Cortona today hosts the Scuola Normale di Pisa and the University of Georgia's Lamar Dodd School of Art.