May 2023 Italy – Saturday May 6 Arezzo Antique Market and Cortona

Going to any of the walled medieval towns is an adventure in travel. If you drive there, you have to negotiate the roads which can include narrow streets with hills and multiple signs in an unknown language – all while driving a six-speed manual transmission and trying to watch traffic, stop lights, and pedestrians – who have the right-of-way and boldly take it! If you successfully manage all of that, and the one-way streets that look like two-way because locals park wherever there is air, or two-way that look like one-way because there is only enough room for one, then you still have to find parking that is close enough to where you are going to get there before it closes. So – it’s no wonder that we decided to take a train to Arezzo!

Arezzo is known as “the city of art” and is north of Tuoro and about 50 miles south of Florence in the southern part of Tuscany. It is believed to have been founded by the Etruscans about 500 years before Christ. Once a month there is an Antique Market that starts in the Piazza Grande at the top of the old town and flows out and down the side streets and alleys toward the newer parts of town. It is the oldest Antiques Fair in Italy with over 500 booths and can draw up to 30,000 visitors.

But, to take a train – we had to get to a train station where we could leave the car. So we chose the Camucia-Cortona station, about 20 minutes away. It appeared there would be plenty of parking, and when we returned we could go by taxi from there to the old center of the town of Cortona, then back to the car without having to move it.

We got started early and found the station with no difficulty, but the parking lot was already full. There was another dirt lot through a gate and we asked the cafe owner at the station if we could park there. Thankfully, she spoke English and assured us it was free and fine. The station was closed but Genny discovered ticket machines around back by the tracks, so we bought one way tickets at the red machine, validated them at the green one, and made our way down the stairs under the track to the other side, and back up to Platform #2. It all sounds so simple, but each step comes with a little trepidation that you just aren’t getting it right and you are either going to miss your train or end up in Germany. The tickets only cost about $3.00 each, but if you miss the validation step and get caught, it can cost $50 each or more.

We waited for our train, boarded, and successfully made it to Arezzo with only three brief stops. Arriving at the station, we exited and found a taxi stand where we waited for a taxi to take us to the top. Soon we were on our way and the driver got us as close as he could. We started at a small piazza that had some terrific items – including an old gramophone that was in gorgeous condition.

We continued up along the streets walking from booth to booth just enjoying the weather and the sights. It was so interesting to see so many different things from “the good old days” that Italians brought to market.

As we neared the Piazza Grande we saw a group gathering outside of an indoor area. When we got closer we saw signs depicting “Dandy Days” with men and women “dressed to the nines” as they would have been in the Victorian era. The headline was, “‘Dandy Days, Masters of Elegance in the Streets of the Centre’, a gathering dedicated to beauty and style”. There were professional photographers taking pictures of apparently famous people, “from all over Italy and beyond”.

Arriving at the Piazza, we confirmed our course with a local policeman and began walking down toward the newer part of the city and the train station below. With detours down side streets to give a little relief from the steep hills we finally made it back to the train station shortly after noon.

We bought tickets for the return to the Camucia-Cortona station, but the train was running about 25 minutes late so I waited to validate them. We got a snack and water in the cafe and as the time neared, I went to double check the platform. But the train was cancelled altogether! A Railway rep told us when the next train would be and said we could use the same tickets. We waited about another hour, and when it finally arrived we boarded for the short journey that made one stop and should have taken 17 minutes. All was well until the stop – where we sat for another hour due to some kind of issue ahead.

We never learned what it was, but at one point a railway worker was coming down the aisle chatting with people. I started sweating because when the train was delayed I forgot to validate the tickets. If she was checking, I was toast. I began to formulate my plea for mercy when she finished answering a question and turned to walk back toward the front. Whew!!!!! In the meantime, we heard the music and narration in Italian for the last part of the coronation of King Charles as the lady behind us watched it on her phone – with the speaker up pretty loud.

So may I pause and say, I just don’t get people and their disrespectful disregard for others in the use of electronics. I know phone manufacturers stopped making a spot to plug in earbuds, but why does that mean everyone has to listen to everyone else’s choices of conversations and streaming on their speakers??? I say either get wireless headphones or earbuds or put the phone to your ear and turn it down. Even here where families are supposedly known for mealtimes together, parents allow children to sit and stare at phones and iPads with kiddie cartoons and games filling the air with annoyance instead of engaging them in table behaviors and the art of conversation, and imposing that sound on everyone else around them. Sorry, I digress…

By the time we made it back to our car in Cortona, we knew the afternoon crowds would be overwhelming, and had really done enough hill walking for one day. So we scouted ahead on Google Maps to find a good turn-around spot and drove near to the top of Cortona just for the view. I have resized photos for easy upload to these posts, and when reviewing them realize that nothing I do can communicate the scenes of these areas. I’ll still share some pictures, and you can close your eyes and fill in the rest.

We returned to Tuoro and for dinner that night and went to another restaurant recommended by Carlo. It was at the top of Tuoro sul Trasimeno. On the way up we were passed by two groups of motorcyclists, one of whom nearly caused a car coming toward us to wreck – or hit him. We have been surprised that we’ve seen no accidents during our adventures.

We ordered dinner, sharing a ravioli dish and a meat dish of Chianina beef. Unfortunately, it was the one meal we really didn’t care for. Most of the meat was undercooked and tough. Disappointing, but not a bad record for nearly three weeks. The view over the lake however, was outstanding!

We left the restaurant just as it was getting dark and wound our way back down to the town and out to our quiet spot among the olives. For a day of simple plans it had been pretty full and we were ready for rest and looking forward to Sunday. What a treat it has been to be here.

Rambling gratefully, thanks again for traveling with us.