Under the Tuscan fog in Cortona
A day trip from Assisi to Cortona in the Tuscan fog — visiting the Franciscan hermitage at La Celle, relics of Brother Elias, and walking 13km with the equivalent of 52 floors climbed. (4 min read)
A day trip from Assisi to Cortona to visit an important Franciscan site at La Celle.
In Cortona I visited the Curch of San Francesco which has important relics that belonged to Brother Elias (who I referred to as the “Franciscan Judas” in my book). Elias was sent to Cortona after his leadership of the order ended. He died here and is buried in the chuch of SF. They seem to think well of him here which is causing me to rethink. La Celle is an isolated hermitage established by the Franciscans and includes a small room he lived in. St Anthony of Padova also visited here. Some believe Francis started his final will here in 1226. It is beautiful and very quiet despite being under the Tuscan fog (Frances Mayes villa from “Under the Tuscan Sun” is nearby).
I think it is worth knowing how to get from Assisi to Cortona by public transport. I used the Omio app which has the benefit of providing digital tickets. I chose to get the train from Assisi to Terontola-Cortona (with a stop at Perugia). Next step was to catch a bus from right outside the train station to Cortona. The return route was different. The little bus left from Piazza Garibaldi and went to Camuia- Cortona Station (which is closer than Terontola-Cortona) and I then caught the train back to Assisi. I paid $AUD20 each way – which was more expensive than paying at the station and on the bus but the peace of mind of a digital ticket was worth every cent. It pretty much is a whole day to see a few things in Cortona (it is a quiet and not so well maintained city) and most importantly walk to the hermitage and back (which takes about an hour). I walked 13km in total today but climbed the equivalent of 52 floors (much more than any other day this trip).
© Paul McCarthy & Iluminar.au
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