Cortona

Related Category: Italian Political Geography

(kōrtō´nä), town (1991 pop. 22,598), Tuscany, central Italy. It is an agricultural and tourist center. One of the 12 important Etruscan cities, Cortona later (310 B.C.) united with Rome. The town passed to Florence in the early 15th cent. Landmarks include the Romanesque cathedral (remodeled during the Renaissance), the Palazzo Pretorio (13th cent.), and the Church of San Francesco (begun 1245). The Diocesan Museum contains paintings by Luca Signorelli (who was born in Cortona), Fra Angelico, and others.