Articles tagged with: Cortona
Follow the brown sign: Abbazia di Farneta, Cortona
Sometimes fortune points us towards those little things in life that are more beautiful because they are unexpected. Living in Italy, it’s rather likely that those little fortunate things are of medieval or Etruscan origin. Hey, I never said I wasn’t a lucky girl. But I do have a nose for these things. The trick? …
Cortona, The Genius of a Place: 3 questions for creator Sarah Marder
Many of you will know that I really love Cortona; I lived and worked there for a year not long ago, and I maintain that it’s weathered the tourist onslaught after Francis Mayes’ book rather well – with a good cultural programme at the local teatro and most importantly it still has schools for the …
Il Poggiolo: luxury rental accomodation in the heart of Tuscany
My friends own a recently restored holiday rental accomodation in Tuscany that I highly recommend for its peaceful atmosphere and excellent hospitality. Il Poggiolo Tuscany (www.poggiolotuscany.com) offers two large, beautifully decorated accommodations in the heart of the Valdarno, the area of Tuscany equidistant from Florence, Siena, and Arezzo.
Il Poggiolo is a great base for exploring not …
Female artist biographical film project
Students in my advanced seminar on “Women and the Arts in Early Modern Italy” have been assigned the production of a short film biography on a female artist of the Renaissance or Baroque period.
Lavinia Fontana (female artist biographical film)
This video and article are part of the Female Artist biographical film project described here.
Summary: Lavinia Fontana was born into an artistic and middle class family in Bologna in 1552. Her talent and promise as an artist was recognized early in her childhood, for while Lavinia had numerous brothers, her father Prospero, himself a successful …
Made in Cortona: Arturo in Letto, “Ciao Marco” video
The hot new American pop star Arturo in Letto [sic!], aka A.J. (Douglas) Weiss, has chosen Cortona, Italy as the inspiration behind and set for his latest video “Ciao Marco”, which is exploding to the top of the charts on YouTube right this minute. We who “knew him when” hope that the fame won’t go …
Elisabetta Sirani (female artist biographical film)
The Funerary Procession of Elisabetta Sirani
Summary: Elisabetta Sirani was a 16th century female painter from Bologna. She exceeded the expectations for her sex by painting scenes atypical for a female artist. Unfortunately, not much is known about her; what is known is that after her tragic death at age 27 Bologna held a lavish funeral …
The Ghirarium: Etruscans ensured that a tasty treat was always close
Here is a common kitchen appliance from Etruscan and Roman times that has gone the way of the dodo bird… the GHIRARIUM. Etruscan finds in many areas, including in Cortona and Chiusi, have revealed the common presence of a special terracotta pot used for the alimentary raising of dormice, in Italian “ghiri”.
The Ghirarium has shelves …
A sweet treat in Cortona: Alessio Burroni’s Cocoa
At just about any time of any day of the week, you can walk into Cocoa on via Guelfa in Cortona and find Alessio Burroni with his hands in some chocolate or dough. You enter into his lair through a little door in a stone building (just across from the Church of Sant’Agostino), where the …
Sofonisba Anguissola (female artist biographical film)
Sofonisba Anguissola: More than a Woman
Summary: Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625) surpassed the expectations of women during the Italian Renaissance. She was well educated and trained under the tutelage of Bernardino Campi from 1545 to 1549 and thereafter with Bernardino Barri. With the help of her father, her works were well marketed and dispersed within the influential …
Cortona’s historical flag throwers right on time!
On February 14th 2009, Cortona’s sbandieratori, or historical flagthrowers, put on a great show for a chilly crowd (it was around the freezing mark). At noon, their new medieval costumes were unveiled by the designer in a special ceremony. The new costumes are more consistent than the last, in that the drummers, trumpeters, and flag …
Cortona photos
I have been spending a fair amount of time in Cortona recently. Not enough to write much about its history, but enough to appreciate how beautiful and quiet this town is. I have been here long enough to see a litter of kittens grow up and leave town…
ArtTrav is a blog about expat life, art, and travel in Italy and Europe. I am Alexandra Korey, a Florence-based art historian turned blogger.
My goal is to help travelers and residents like you experience countries through culture and local living. If it takes geeky, long articles to do that, so be it! 
