AREZZO & CORTONA FOR THE AFTERNOON
We did not take the express train back to Arezzo. We took just the regular train (locali). I could lie and say we wanted the experience of both ways of traveling but it truly was a money option. The regular train took three hours to get back and was dirt cheap. It definitely wasn’t as luxurious as the express. This is how the Italians travel so we did the non-tourist thing. While waiting to meet our driver we stopped in Cortona and since our pick-up was in Arezzo we strolled through there. Cortona is considered one Italy’s oldest towns. There’s a quote about Cortona, “Mother of Troy and Grandmother of Rome” It s nestled between Lake Trasimeno and the Appenines. There is a very famous Tuscan Movie that was set here. Museo Diocesano - For the art lovers. Piazza della Repubblica - Piazza Signorelli - Quaint shops. An amazing beautiful town. The view is spectacular. Arezzo is situated in the center of four valleys. It’s the third largest city in Tuscany. Although you would never know it. As we walked through the town and its many antique shops it seemed quaint. And it was. It has a lot of things a big city has. But it still maintains its charm. We got off the train and the town is right there. We waked through the center of town. As you look ahead and up you can see the Piazza Grande. The town is known for its poets and artists. Many ancient churches. Basilica di San Francesco - Painted between 1452-1466. The scenes in the church are from the “Legend of the True Cross” Piazza GrandePortale Maggiore (great door). Those doors again! We met our driver. In his broken English and us in our broken Italian we talked about Rome. We found out that he was from Rome. We discussed my family and try to explain what we were looking for in Rome.It was a fun conversation. Wished we had learned more Italian.
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