Cortona was made famous (in the modern era) by Frances Mayes and her book 'Under the Tuscan Sun'. We have been to Cortona many times but this time we didn't visit Frances but rather Francis! We went to Eremo Le Celle, a Franciscan hermitage where St. Francis of Assisi and a few of his followers built the first nine cells and established a sanctuary in 1211. After the death of St. Francis in 1226 Brother Elia went to Le Celle and carried out improvements and restoration work, thus ensuring the hermitage became a Franciscan property. Since 1537 the Cappuccin Franciscans have been the keepers of this incredible site. Like Assisi, Le Celle is very quiet and peaceful. We did hear the beautiful sounds of the friars chanting the midday prayers.
The Chapel of St. Francis is one of the areas we were able to visit. The little door to the right leads into the cell where Saint Francis lived and prayed. It is a vey small space.
After visiting Le Celle we returned to Cortona. It was very hot so we found ourselves a table in a shady street and enjoyed a slow lunch. In this photo Kelly is showing how their serviettes match his shirt, and my pizza!
Cortona hasbecome a major tourist location and we were amazed at the crowds of people everywhere. The picturesque streets are full of leather shops, art galleries, ceramics shops and bars and restaurants. There was a flautist creating a great ambience, a wedding group were being photographed, churches were open where once they would have been closed in the middle of the day and the gelati shops had queues out their doors. You can't help liking Cortona.
Photographing doors is a popular occupation in Italy, so many and varied are the subjects. This one caught my attention.
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