It is hard to imagine that this tiny, impossibly hilly town once
rivaled mighty Firenze for Tuscan dominance. But in the summer, Cortona sure rivals it for
tourists per square inch. Nearly empty in the winter—the tourist office reports the summer
population as 3000 and the winter population as “much, much less”—the town’s three piazze
and one main drag swell on breezy summer evenings with students from the University of
Georgia’s satellite campus and grown-up types from one of the many professional
conferences held in town. Folks come here for the twisty, steep medieval streets and the
breathtaking scenery, and because most streets end with a steep drop over the gorgeous
green valley, panoramic views are a dime a dozen. Make sure to bring good shoes, though:
you can’t walk more than50m on a flat surface in the entirety of Cortona.