Happy Friday y’all! I’m finally recapping our third stop on our Italy trip & I must say, we underestimated this quaint town. Cortona was so much more than we ever dreamed of, and it started & ended with our stay at Villa Loggio. Today’s Cortona Italy Travel Guide covers what we did during our stay, what to wear, where to eat, tips we leaned & more! There is even a Q&A on questions y’all asked on Instagram stories!
Click here for my posts on Venice & Florence!
Why Cortona
This was one of the most asked questions about our time in Tuscany, so I thought I would get to it first before telling y’all all about our amazing stay in this charming town. As I mentioned in my Venice recap, we booked this trip through a travel agent (who was wonderful btw). Tyler really wanted to spend a few days in Tuscany to do some wine tastings, and we originally planned to stay in a different city in Tuscany (I honestly forget which one). I am sure there are so many amazing cities in Tuscany, and I didn’t know where to start with research, so I let our travel agent pick a city & hotel for us.
The first hotel & city she chose looked amazing, but we weren’t able to find train times that worked logistically. Cortona was her second choice, and we were thrilled. I believe Cortona was where the movie Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed btw! So to sum it up, we ended up staying there per our travel agents suggestion.
Logistics
Traveling to Cortona was a breeze. By this time we had gotten the hang out of the train stations, and hopped on a train at the Florence station around 1pm to Stazione di Camucia-Cortona {52044 Camucia, Province of Arezzo, Italy}. The train ride was around 2 hours. It was once we got off the train that we had the smallest hiccup. Every other train station we arrived to or departed from was hustling & bustling, but not this one. The lack of crowds was almost alarming, albeit a welcome surprise.
There was hardly anyone at the stop, let alone any cabs waiting around. I hadn’t read our reservation confirmation clearly which told us that we needed to call for a taxi to take us to our hotel. Luckily there was a little market by the train station, where the kind lady working called us a cab. Once we hopped in the cab, it was about a 15 minute ride to our hotel.
Where to Stay
This post really begins & ends with Villa Loggio {Località II Loggio, 24, 52044 Cortona AR, Italy}. Tyler really wanted to do some wine tastings while in Tuscany, so what better place to stay than at a winery?! Villa Loggio took our breath away. It’s a winey, a boutique hotel & the perfect place to get away from the hustle & bustle of the busier Italian cities. It felt more like a bed & breakfast honestly, located about 20 minutes from downtown Cortona. It’s a small operation, with only 9 rooms, and we saw the same faces the entire time we were there. I will get more into the property during our itinerary because we ended up spending more time than anticipated on the property.
Our 48 Hour Cortona Itinerary
June 7::
We arrived around 3ish, and were ready to relax! We’d had just had several jam packed days & the adrenaline was starting to wear off. We were so grateful to get to the hotel, especially when we saw just how gorgeous the grounds were. Y’all this hotel took our breath away. The pool area was so pretty, and the weather was incredible that day. We also realized it was going to be more difficult than we anticipated to get into town, so we decided to spend the rest of the day & night at the hotel.
Because the hotel is located on their winery, all of their wines are available to purchase. We changed into our swimmies as quickly as possible, bought a bottle of wine & enjoyed a day by the pool. We played cards, relaxed and just enjoyed the day. It was such a nice change of pace, and just what we needed. Did I mention there are dogs that live on the property?! 3 gorgeous pups that just hung around the pool with us!
Upon check in they told us that the kitchen can prepare us a 3 course dinner accompanied with a wine tasting, so we jumped on the opportunity to do just that! It was such a relaxing & authentic Italian dinner experience. It was so good y’all! Plus it was super convenient that we didn’t have to worry about leaving the property for dinner & drinks. The dinner was set up at the back of the property, and was so romantic! There was only one other group of people dining that night, which made it even more of an intimate experience. The food was delicious btw! After dessert we were full & exhausted so we called it a night.
June 8::
One of the best parts about our stay at Villa Loggio was at night you would fill out a sheet of everything you wanted for breakfast, and the next morning they would serve a fresh, home cooked breakfast outside overlooking the pool. We enjoyed a late breakfast, and then realized just how tired we still were, so we decided to spend most of the day at the property, by the pool, drinking wine, etc.
We had all of these plans to rent vespas, go wine tasting, etc, but that morning we really just didn’t want to rush and enjoy a little more down time. The kitchen whipped up the yummiest snack plate for lunch upon request, and then we made plans to take advantage of being in Cortona.
We grabbed a cab to Avignonisi {Via Colonica, 1, 53045 Montepulciano SI, Italy} for a wine tasting around 4. It was such a beautiful winery, and the wine was so so good. We took our time, tasted so many amazing wines & made sure to order a case or two to send home! Tip:: Order more wine than you think you should, trust me 😉 The wineries are pretty spread out in Tuscany, so we only ventured to this one, but it is definitely worth a visit!
When we wrapped up at Avignonisi, we headed into downtown Cortona. It is the cutest little downtown. We had a few hours to spare before dinner, so we did what we did the entire trip. Wander around, stop for wine, repeat. I thought I saved the wine shop where we stopped for a glass, but it’s not showing up on my Google Maps– sorry! But there were so many wine bars lining the streets, you can’t go wrong!
Next up– dinner! La Bucaccia {Via Ghibellina, 17, 52044 Cortona AR, Italy} was highly recommended to us, so immediately made reservations. This restaurant was one of my favorite places we ate in Italy. It is located downhill on a small side street, with a few two top tables outside. I LOVE eating al fresco, so I was so excited we were seated outside. The staff was incredibly friendly & knowledgable about the menu. We went with pasta dishes, including a pici pasta dish that was out of this world!
Post dinner was accompanied by espresso, gelato & more wandering around the downtown area.
*Tip:: because cabs were hard to come by, our hotel arranged for a driver to take us & pick us up from each location (hotel, winery, downtown, back to hotel). This was so helpful & convenient & didn’t cost much more that arranging it ourselves.
June 9::
We woke up to our homemade breakfast, took a little walk & then had a couples massage before we were off to Rome. The hotel has a masseuse on call, and she was amazing. She set up shop in our hotel room & we arranged it a few days before no problem. It was the perfect way to spend our last morning in Cortona!
Post massage we hopped on a train to Rome! More of that to come! Our time in Cortona was short & sweet & just what we needed.
My Thoughts on Cortona
If you couldn’t already tell, we LOVED Cortona. It was the perfect place & perfect timing. I think I speak for Tyler too when I say we were really grateful for the down time & relaxation. Our few days here were nestled in between Venice + Florence & Rome + Positano, and much needed. I would 100% recommend spending a few days here.
Random Tidbits
- This was the most difficult city we stayed in in regards to logistics. I think it had to do with the location of the Villa where we stayed. We had to call hours in advance to reserve a cab into town, to the train station, etc.
- This was also the one & only place we stayed where there seemed to be a language barrier. A few of the staff at the Villa spoke little to no English.
- There are several hotels in the downtown of Cortona, but we really loved our stay off the beaten path at Villa Loggio.
- Most guests of our hotel drove there, which would have been easier, but we didn’t want to rent a car for several reasons. 1. because we had absolutely no clue where we were going & 2. because wine drinking & driving don’t mix.
Q&A:
Q: Would you go here again?
A: 100%. We loved it here. I cannot say enough good things about this town.
Q: Was it worth the visit?
A: If you couldn’t tell by my answer above, 100%!
Q: How did we decide to stay here?
A: Our travel agent found the hotel & arranged it. We didn’t know much about the area so we trusted her pick.
Q: Is this the best location in Tuscany?
A: I can’t answer that, but I can say it exceeded our expectations, we loved it & would go back. So that has to count for something!
Q: Were you happy with where you stayed?
A: Very much so. The only issue was the air conditioning wasn’t as efficient as Tyler would have liked.
Other Recommendations*
- Ride Vespas: I really wish we would have done this, but we needed some down time after Venice & Florence and decided not to do it.
- Barachi Winery
*We received these recommendations from others, but could only fit in so much.
That’s a wrap! I hoped y’all enjoyed this travel diary of our time in Cortona! Stay tuned for more Italy Travel Guides from Rome & Positano! See more about our stays in Venice & Florence.
Okay now the number one spot I want to visit! This sounds right up my alley. And girl your photos are beautiful!
xo Laura Leigh
http://www.louellareese.com