Travel Blog - Bella Cortona

I’m so happy to be back in Cortona, it’s my 8th visit here - which is more than I’ve been to any place in my international travels. For those of you who haven’t been, it is the quintessential Tuscan hill town - winding up the hill to the fortress at the top, extremely steep and narrow streets are lined with homes, churches and buildings that date back as early as the 13th century. The entire town is one of the few to still be completely surrounded by walls that were begun by the Etruscans added onto through the centuries through medieval times. All commerce happens in the lower part of the town - shops, bars restaurants face the streets with the 2 main piazzi being the focal point of social activity. I could go on and on about this place - it tends to be very popular with Americans, not only because of Francis Mayes and under the Tuscan Sun but because the University of Georgia has invested heavily in the town and has had a campus here for over 50 years. As is happening in many of these small towns the population is dwindling as younger generations leave seeking more modern lifestyles - from 7000 residents to now only around 600. Despite all of that, it has magically retained its old-world charm.

I have an aperitivo on the piazza with my friend Antonio after we got our rental car situation sorted out. Antonio is from here, and his family has a large house that is just off the piazza. He can point to the window of the room he was born in and his 100+ year old uncle still lives in. His father and uncles, the Molesini brothers, came here from the Veneto in the 1930s and the town is synonymous with the name. They own the main grocery and wine shop on the Piazza Republica. While he now lives in the US, everyone knows Antonio and our conversation is constantly halted by old friends and townspeople with warm greetings and hugs. Afterwards, he has a family obligation for dinner so I am on my own.

I’m tired - it took a lot to not just go back to the hotel and sleep, which I have not done since Thursday night. But I always like to stay up on my first day so here I am. As I try to decide where to go, it’s hard not to be drawn in by the lively ristorante with tables on the piazza or Via Nazionale. While they may be the best people watching spots they also tend to be a little more generic Tuscan in terms of the food scene. The one exception to that is the new spot for aperitivo and tapas, Sotto Voce, but a table at 8pm on a Saturday is hard to come by. So instead I went for an off the beaten path little hidden gem that got amazing reviews. Sartù is located down a steep narrow stone street just off of Via Nazionale (the only flat street in the entire town!) It’s a tiny space with 2 tables on the steeply angled street and 5 inside (think 1000 figs but with a kitchen 1/4 of the size!) I came in at 8:15 to an empty restaurant with every table but one having a reserved sign on it. Luckily they gave me that table. Knowing I wanted to keep things light, I ordered a local a Tuscan white blend of Grechetto and Chardonnay - simplistic but worked well with what I ordered. Let’s get to the exquisite appetizer - it always surprises people when I tell them that in general, green food in Tuscany consists of zucchini (grilled or fried), cooked spinach, basil and leeks 😆 so I chose the greenest thing on the menu which was a leek flan floating in a heavenly cloud of parmigiana cream with a garnish of fried leeks. My other “light” dish was a homemade pasta with sweet grape tomatoes from the Amalfi coast and topped with grated tangy ricotta salata. Also lovely but it was hard to follow anything with that flan! The chef came out from the kitchen to chat - she is from Napoli so that dish is close to her heart.

I’m still tired and now my belly is full but you just can’t not have gelato on your first night in Italy. So I’m back on my lively little piazza writing this and I have to say - I am one of the few people interacting with a phone instead of a person. Kids are playing, old men are gossiping on the benches behind me, dogs excitedly greet each other while their people gather in small groups socializing on a Saturday night. I have not been here since 2017 and before I arrived, I was concerned - concerned that technology, the pandemic and just time itself would change this place. But oh so thankfully, it has not.