After spending a few days in Rome, I headed to Tiburtina Station and boarded a northbound Trenitalia. In a little over two hours (and with no transfers), I found myself about halfway between Rome and Florence, at the Camucia–Cortona train station. After a few minutes, I was in a car on my way to the hotel, admiring the scenery around me.
The sight of those rolling hills, vineyards, olive trees, and farm animals roaming the land made me relax almost instantly. I was immediately charmed by Cortona and physically could feel my shoulders go down a few inches. Those rolling hills were also a quick reminder of why I rarely encourage clients to drive themselves around Italy—a blog for another time.
This weekend, I got to experience the best of what Tuscany has to offer in the small town of Cortona.
UNDER THE CORTONA SUN
If you remember 2003, you probably remember the movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
Based on Frances Mayes’s 1996 memoir, Under the Tuscan Sun starred Diane Lane as Frances, a newly divorced writer who was gifted a tour of Italy. Her tour stopped in the ancient town of Cortona, which she was immediately charmed by (sound familiar?).
Without seemingly giving it much thought, Frances found a villa for sale and just… bought it. Renovating this villa helped her move on from her marriage, connect with the locals, and find herself along the way. Mayes also made the world fall in love with Cortona and its people in the process. The film and her novel have inspired countless travelers to visit Tuscany and contemplate relocation there.
FOOD AND WINE IN TUSCANY
As a lover and curator of culinary travel, I wanted to make food and wine the focus of this weekend and chose Il Falconiere for my stay. Owned and operated by the incredibly charismatic (and Michelin-starred) Chef Silvia Baracchi, Il Falconiere has all the best of Tuscany right there on property, including a vineyard and winery, an intimate 30 rooms and suites, a luxurious onsite spa, two beautiful pools, a casual restaurant facing the Tuscan countryside, and Chef Baracchi’s elegant Michelin-starred restaurant.
If you’ve ever been to Italy, you’ve probably noticed that most restaurants are closed between lunch and dinner, which can make it difficult to find something to eat between 2:30 and 7:00 PM. I arrived at Il Falconiere during that window of time and realized that I hadn’t eaten lunch on the train.
Thankfully, Il Falconiere offers a light lunch menu that’s available during that window of time, served on their gorgeous panoramic terrace. The handmade tagliatelle I ordered was served with a delicious ragu and I was a very happy camper.
This was a great kickoff to a weekend full of unbelievable food.
It’s no secret that Tuscany is world-famous for its wine. While Chianti is probably the first region that comes to mind when you think of Tuscan wines, Cortona is an official wine region with characteristics all its own.
After lunch, I went on a vineyard tour and got to learn about the different varieties of grapes grown here, see how wine is made and where it ages, and of course, enjoy a wine tasting. The other people on my tour were a couple visiting from Oregon who were incredibly friendly and also completely enamored by our surroundings, the immersive experience, and the quality of the food and wine.
We got to stroll through the vineyard, visit Chef Baracchi in the farmhouse kitchen where she leads cooking classes, enter and explore the wine cellar, and finally taste several different wines that were produced exactly where we were standing.
After the tasting, we were taken outside and before I knew it, I was holding a sword (they gave me a sword?) and given the opportunity to saber open a bottle of spumante. After a few failed attempts, the cork went flying and we enjoyed that delicious bottle of bubbly. I still can’t believe they handed me a sword.
CORTONA – THE HILLTOP TOWN
The next day, they arranged a taxi for me to go visit Cortona’s old town, which was about a 5-10 min drive from Il Falconiere. I met my guide for the afternoon, Laura, at Piazza Garibaldi and she took me to some of the town’s incredible sites and shared some wonderful stories.
It was a great reminder of how sightseeing with a guide is so much more enriching than just wandering around a town without any context on what you’re looking at. A skilled guide can be the difference between an average trip and an unforgettable vacation of a lifetime.
There was a festival going on in town that day and people were dressed in garb from hundreds of years ago to celebrate. The town was alive with energy and was a joy to walk around. I was surprised and delighted by the number of artisanal shops and art galleries there are in Cortona and was kicking myself for only traveling with a carry-on. Ironically, I checked that carry-on on the way home so I could bring a bottle of Baracchi wine back to NY with me (note to self: check a bag next time).
DINING IN CORTONA
For dinner on my first night, we went to a small inn nearby called Locanda del Molino, which is another one of Chef Baracchi’s creations (and a charming lodging option in Cortona). After a very warm greeting, we were seated in their cozy, wooden dining room and treated to some hearty Tuscan food.
The menu included local specialties like gnudi (basically ravioli filling without the pasta), pappardelle al cinghiale (freshly made pasta with wild boar ragu), veal osso buco, and zuppa inglese, a layered cake that was so delicious and has nothing to do with English soup despite its name. Between today’s lunch, wine tasting, and this fantastic dinner (and some more wine), I was in Italian food heaven.
Little did I know that dinner the next night would be an incredible dining experience that was unlike anything I’d ever had in my life.
Before I get ahead of myself, I have to take a moment to bask in the glory of breakfast at Il Falconiere. One of the best things about staying at a five-star hotel is getting to enjoy the wide variety and high quality of items to choose from at a good breakfast spread, and this one was top of the line.
There were pastries and other baked goods (pistachio cornetto, anyone?), cheeses, meats, cereals, juices, and something I had never seen before, which was an actual honeycomb to take your honey from. I sat there and ordered one more espresso than I needed just to relax and take in the view.
Dinner on night two was at Il Falconiere’s Michelin-starred restaurant and consisted of multiple courses where each dish was somehow better than the previous one (after walking all day, this meal was earned). This was the culinary highlight of the weekend and I was not prepared for what was ahead.
One of the starters that stood out was the Chianina beef tartare. It was served between two paper-thin wafers, creating a bite-sized taste of heaven that looked like a mini taco. I was told to eat it with my hands and loved this playful element to a dish that is often pretty formal. The pasta course was goose tortelli served in a corn sauce and was creatively served with some popcorn on the plate, but my favorite of the night was the lamb.
If you are someone who enjoys eating lamb as much as I do, this dish is worth planning a trip around. In addition to the high quality of the meat itself, the lamb was crusted with herbs and sediment from within the wine bottles (Chef Baracchi uses every resource available).
This was truly a special dish, and I hope to taste it again someday.
After this huge dinner, I was too full for dessert, until I heard that rosemary ice cream was an option. This small serving was drizzled with olive oil (also made on-site) and was the perfect end to the perfect meal. Dinner on both nights was truly incredible, but the way local cuisine and Michelin-star creativity and elevation merge at Il Falconiere is very special.
This was a perfect weekend under the Tuscan sun; I plan to stay longer next time.
