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HERMITAGE

So you call the Franciscan monastery which is located five kilometers from Cortona, 550 meters above sea level at the foot of Mount St. Egidio. S. Francis, Brother Elias, B. Guido, B. Vito dei screws and other followers of the saint built the first nine cells in 1211 at a place called since then with the name "cells", where in the mountain creek there were small dwellings of hermits or peasants and where there was a church heritage Lombard invasions dedicated to the Archangel St. Michael.

Cell of St. Francis
It was probably at this point that St. Francis dictated, four months before his death, in May 1226, his testament.
Frate Elia, after the death of Francis, which took place in Assisi October 4, 1226, he retired to Cortona in 1239 and, finished the church of San Francesco, the hermitage brought considerable renovations and ensured its properties to the Franciscan community itself. He broke the stones of the caves, he extracted a small oratory, ancient monks' dormitory. Behind you left the cubicle inhabited by San Francesco, pulled out of rough but solid walls and built up eight bedrooms, where it enters a bed, a wall mounted ironing table and a chair. This was the ideal retreat described and wanted by St. Francis himself, as a contemplative expression of his order.

After the death of Brother Elias in Cortona in 1253 and the complex history of the Franciscan Order, in the hermitage he established a community of " spiritual "or" Fraticelli "who were expelled in 1363 after the excommunication addressed to them by Pope John XXII. The "cells" began a period of abandonment and ruin that ended in 1537 when the hermitage was given by the Bishop of Cortona order of Capuchin friars, who were born just as the third order of the Franciscan family.

The Capuchins greatly expanded the monastery and in 1634 built a new church in place of the church of San Michele Arcangelo. The church was dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, and is in the style simple and humble Capuchin of churches and altars of wood without precious works of art. Currently the place is inhabited by a fraternity of 7 brothers who are still in the time ' inherited experience of prayer by St. Francis. logisitca Availability : Il Convento can accommodate within young people in vocational research with a commitment to participate in the whole life of the fraternity.

Next to the convent there are two "houses" of a total of 40 places for self-help groups. spiritual Availability : Fraternity "Le Celle" offers to priests and religious the opportunity to spend some time in solitary prayer (From one week to one month) in a small hermitage, called S. Michael, situated on the flat top of the relief woodland overlooking the Convent. For more information visit the website www.lecelle.it (from which the images are taken).

DIOCESAN MUSEUM (CORTONA)

The Diocesan Museum in Cortona is the main museum in Cortona, Tuscany, Italy.[1] It is housed where the Church of Gesù (Cortona) used to be located. It includes works of art by artists such as Fra Angelico, Pietro Lorenzetti, Bartolomeo della Gatta, Luca Signorelli and Sassetta. The oldest item in the museum is a marble Roman sarcophagus that dates the 2nd century and depicts the battle of Dionysus.

A room in the museum is specifically dedicated to the works of Luca Signorelli and his workshop, and emphasizes the bond that Signorelli had with his hometown, and correspond to the artist's last years of work, from 1512 to 1523, the year of his death. Ten of the works bear the personal signature of Signorelli, the others are assumed to be from his workshop.[2]

The large tempera on panel depiction of the Lamentation of Christ, which used to be in the church of S. Margaret of Cortona, was called "a rare form of art" by Giorgio Vasari. The predella, on which Girolamo Genga may have also worked displays scenes of the Passion such as of the Last Supper, Agony in the Garden, and the Flagellation of Christ.

The Communion of the Apostles, by Signorelli was painted for the high altar of the Church of Gesù, and has an unusual iconography in which the apostles are gathered around a table at the Last Supper, in a semicircle, standing or kneeling and around the figure of Christ. Only Judas, concealing his 30 pieces of silver faces the viewer, his glance revealing the inner struggle of betrayal.

Another work attributed to Signorelli, or his workshop, is the 1519-1520 Assumption of the Virgin from the Cathedral of Cortona.[2]

Other major art in the museum:

The Cortona Triptych by Fra Angelico
Madonna and Child by Niccolò di Segna (c. 1336)
A large cross painted by Pietro Lorenzetti (1315-1320, from the church of San Marco)
Maestà Pietro by Lorenzetti
Triptych of the Madonna of Humility with Saints by Sassetta (c. 1434)
The Assumption by Bartolomeo della Gatta (1470-1475)
The ecstasy of St. Margaret of Cortona by Giuseppe Maria Crespi (1701)

THE ETRUSCAN ACADEMY MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF CORTONA

MAEC’s history stretches back to 1727 when the Accademia Etrusca (Etruscan Academy) was founded; the academy's statutory goals included the dissemination of historical and artistic culture through key-tools such as the Library and the Museum both of which were public right from the earliest stages; over the past three centuries the Museum has undergone extraordinary development all the way to its final re-arrangement in 2008.

The museum currently consists of two main sections respectively devoted to the Accademia Etrusca and the Etruscan and Roman city of Cortona; the former section accommodates materials providing a unique testimony to the life and continuing efforts of the best known cultural institution in town; such materials range from the earliest bequests from academicians in the 1700 and 1800s to materials acquired over the centuries: the most valuable pieces real symbols of the Cortonese culture include the Etruscan bronze lamp, the so-called Musa Polimnia, a fine collection of Etruscan and Roman ceramics and bronzes as well as the Corbelli collection including materials from the Egyptian civilization; more recent materials include an imposing collection of art objects and furnishings formerly owned by the Tommasi-Baldelli family, one of the most prominent families in town, as well as a series of works by Cortona-born painter Gino Severini, one of the founders of Futurism, bequeathed to the town of Cortona by the Maestro himself. Other exhibits include archaeological finds from the city and its surroundings providing a link to the modern section devoted to the development of the latter.

WINE ROAD

A stay at the Relais Parco Fiorito holiday farm on the board between Tuscany and Umbria is a chance to discover the countryside and delicious flavors of Lake Trasimeno, following the Colli del Trasimeno wine route that winds along the lake and through cities like Città della Pieve, abbeys and Medieval castles including the Montecorona Abbey and Ascagnano Castle, where you can sample local products including DOC wines, truffles and porcini mushrooms, fresh water fish from the lake like eel, pike, queen carp, etc. Don't overlook the local crafts including wrought iron, Irish lace, etc.

Towards Montepulciano and Montalcino we suggest a visit to Avignonesi.

The Avignonesi vinery is located near the village of Valiano, With its vineyards, villa, chapel and ancient stone wine cellars, it is the very heart of the Avignonesi winery. It's shocking to see 3,000 barrels where the mold controls the temperature without the intervention of technology.

They greet guests who are interested in learning more about winemaking and wine pairing, who wish to enjoy a tasting of their wines.

This in-depth winery tour and tasting is a chance for professionals in the wine industry to visit the estate and learn more about what they do from a trained specialist. The tour includes a visit to selected areas of their vinification cellar.

Possible tasting list:
Avignonesi Rosso di Montepulciano DOC
Ormanni Chianti Classico DOCG
Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG
Piancornello Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
50&50 Toscana IGT

Hours of Operation
May 1 - October 31
Monday - Friday: 9am - 6pm

Saturday and Sunday: 11am - 6pm

November 1- April 30
Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm

Throughout the summer season tastings in the Cellar Door are available all day and are FREE with a purchase of wine. In the months of December, January, and February NO tours and tastings.

LA VAL DI CHIANA

Val di Chiana, with the hills and pastures of the famous Chianina cattle that provide delicious steaks, Vino Nobile vineyards in Montepulciano and DOP extra virgin olive oil olive groves, is just a few kilometers from the Relais Parco Fiorito holiday farm with enchanting villages and spas that the Etruscans and Romans considered divine. Don't miss Montepulciano, the sixteenth century Gem, Pienza and Montalcino in Val d'Orcia, the first, an ideal city and the second, a Medieval village famous for its Brunello wine.

PERUGIA - THE HOUSE MUSEUM OF PALAZZO SORBELLO

The Palazzo Sorbello, from the 16th century, has belonged to many different and noble Perugian families until 1780, when it was purchased by the Marchesi Bourbon di Sorbello. The remarkable entrance of the palazzo is a rare example of external wood flooring, unique in Umbria and rare in Italy. This type of flooring is composed of little blocks of Cerro wood, with curved angles. It was used to reduce the noise of the carriage entering in the palace.
At the top of the grand staircase is the noble residence of the Marchesi, where the rooms are adorned with frescoes highlighting the palazzo?s bent ceilings. The Palazzo Sorbello is decorated with furnishings and lamps from the 18th century, and also many works of art and treasured books.

Belonging to the expansive art collection are landscape paintings, portraits of family, and important paintings of Italian and foreign artists like Carlo Labruzzi, Francesco Appiani, Alessio De Marchis, Pietro Benvenuti, François-Xavier Fabre, of Flemish artists and the Carraccesca School. Together with the paintings are prints of different subjects and times of the rare Tuscan proverbs of the 18th century engraver Carlo Lasinio. The historical library shows off rare editions like the remarkable Spaera Mundi, an astronomy composition from 1478, (one of the first printed works), the Encyclopedie Française of Diderot and D?Alembert (edition from 1770) and the original edition of the Tragedies from Vittorio Alfieri with an autographed dedication of the illustrious poet to his friend Marchese Diomede Bourbon di Sorbello.

The palazzo also holds an impressive collection of porcelain. Featured in the showcases, the museum highlights the noteworthy example of the Ginori table service from the 19th century and an original Chinese porcelain service of the Qianlong period (circa 1775) which marks the family crest and some Meissen and Dresden figurines that were handmade in Germany.
The last room of the museum is entirely dedicated to the Ranieri di Sorbello Embroidery school, founded in 1904 by Marchesa Romeyne in the Villa del Pischiello at Lake Trasimeno. The school produced its embroidery works, until 1934, unique pieces that now are collected and appreciated treasures.

Every year at Casa Museo, there is an exhibition that features a very valued (historically and artistically) work that comes from the collection of the Ranieri di Sorbello.

OPENING HOURS:

Monday to Sunday 10.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m

(The last guided tour starts about 30 minutes before the closing time)

IN SPRING AND SUMMER, THE HOUSE WILL ALSO OPEN IN THE AFTERNOON www.casamuseosorbello.org

It is possible to call at any period to reserve customized tours for groups after opening hours.

Reservations can also be made for a breakfast, buffet lunch, or cocktails and appetizers in the vaulted frescoed salon of the Palazzo Sorbello or on the terrace overlooking Perugia and the countryside.

TICKETS (guided tour):

€ 5,00 per person (free for children under 12 years old)
€ 3,00 per person (for groups of more than 8 people)
€ 3,00 per person with Etruscan Well ticket or Perugia CARD
€ 2,50 for disabled people with certification
€ 2,50 per person with ICOM Card

LAKE TRASIMENO

Don't miss: The Trasimeno Park, with footpaths and mountain bike trails and Tuoro sul Trasimeno, 217 B.C. theater of the Battle of Trasimeno where Hannibal defeated the Romans and where you can now retrace the battle stages along the "Battle Trail"; charming Maggiore island where you can enjoy a splendid view and purchase local lace; Castiglione del Lago, that still preserves the beautiful Medieval crenellated walls.

SIENA

Siena, one of the best preserved medieval towns, is located in the heart of Tuscany. The walls that enclose the city seem to have protected its gothic architecture, culture and local traditions. Sometimes it appears that life in Siena has been unchanged for centuries.

Half Day Tour
We will meet for our walking tour near the church of S.Domenico, where is kept the relic of the head of S. Catherine, patron Saint of Italy, who was born in Siena.
We will continue our walk to Piazza Salimbeni, seat of the oldest bank in Europe which still has its headquarters in the city. Walking down to via Banchi di Sopra - part of the old Francigena road, leading the pilgrims from England and France down to Rome - we will arrive in Piazza del Campo, one of the world's most unique Piazzas, shaped like a shell, its ancient Palaces, its big tower built in 1325. During our walk I will explain the history of Siena and how it is built on three hills and divided in separate districts, the Contrade, as it was in the medieval times. The rivalry that exist among them is played out twice a year in the Palio, a bareback horse race that is run in Piazza del Campo, and point out the palaces where wealthy families lived.?We will then walk up to the Cathedral, a stunning example of gothic-Romanesque style built in the midldle ages in black and white marble, with golden decorations and statues. In front of it is the Hospital of S. Maria (now a museum) built to treat the pilgrims walking down to Rome and already existing in the year 1000. On our walk back we will stop at the house of S. Catherine, where her family lived when she was born in 1347. Along the way, we will stop for a typical Sienese snack, and a cafe.

Full Day Tour
You will cover the main itinerary of the half day tour but we will also discover the hidden treasures walking through the atmospheric maze of narrow streets. This will include the visit of the old market place with the vegetable gardens which are within the walls and were used to feed the city during the wars, the Jewish ghetto, the Basilica dei Servi with its stunning view over the city and the visit inside the Duomo, and S. Maria della Scala, the hospital in front of the cathedral which has been restored recently and is huge and full of treasures. We will stop for lunch and sit down in a typical Trattoria to break up the day.

- Prices do not include meals or entrance fees into museums.
- Transportation is included.
- Pick- up at your Hotel or in a familiar meeting place.
- Reservations will be held with a credit card, and paid in Euro at the time of tour.
- You will not be charged for cancellation if made 30 days in advance.

Prices
HALF DAY 9,30 - 1,30
Per Couple 185,00 EUR
3 people 70,00 EUR each
4 people 60,00 EUR each
5 people and more 40,00 EUR each

FULL DAY 9,30 - 4,00
Per Couple 225,00EUR
3 people 80,00 EUR each
4 people 60,00 EUR each
5 people and more 50,00 EUR each

BOUNTIFUL BRUNELLO

Full Day
This morning we travel through the grape growing regions stopping at the picture perfect city of Pienza, where sheep dot the valley floor and Pecorino is made from their milk. Here we will taste those cheeses, and a variety of Balsamic Vinegars.
Next we go on to the vineyard Perazzeta, where Alessandro Bocci makes award winning olive oil and wine. A passionate man, he names his wines after those he loves most: his daughter Sara and his wife Rita. After a tasting and a tour, Sara and Rita will prepare a delightful lunch in the wine cellar! Returning to your hotel, we stop at the 12th century Abbey of Sant'Antimo, a beautiful Romanesque church in a picture-perfect setting just south of Montalcino.

- Prices do not include meals or entrance fees into museums, if applicable.
- Transportation is included. Pick- up at your Hotel or in a familiar meeting place.
- Reservations will be held with a credit card, and paid in Euro at the time of tour.
- You will not be charged for cancellation if made 30 days in advance.

Prices
Per couple pays 300.00 Euro. (150.00 Euro each)
3 persons or more 100.00 Euro per person