About

The top of the hill of Cortona is called Poggio by the citizens and probably it is the most evocative and picturesque part of the town. If you start walking up the hill, you will find the church of San Francesco of the thirteenth century. It was built by Brother Elias, who took the place of Saint Francis at the head of the Franciscan order. The church has beautiful Baroque altars and preserves a relic from the Holy Cross and some personal belongings of Saint Francis. If you continue going uphill, you will find the little church of San Cristoforo, built in the thirteenth century and restored until the 1700s. The outer part is fairly rustic and has a nice open bell tower in Romanic style. Behind the church we can admire Porta Montanina (once called Porta San Cristoforo) with its breathtaking views onto the valley and Cortona, where some remains of the old Etruscan walls and of the Roman aqueduct are still visible. Taking via San Niccolò we will see on the left the beautiful Church of San Niccolò, built in the fifteenth century with an elegant porch adorning the façade and the left-hand side. The church, seat of the compagnia di San Niccolò in the fifteenth century, is enriched by some frescoes by Luca Signorelli.