A city of Etruscan origin, lying on the Arezzo side of the Val di Chiana, Cortona still has tangible signs of the various historical eras of its past. A beautiful museum evidences this aspect, as do the numerous Etruscan tombs discovered in the territory, and the imposing city walls. Cortona was made even more important by the strong Franciscan monk presence, the historic center being just a few kilometers away from a hermitage founded around the cave where Saint Francis of Assisi lived for some months. From here, there are interesting trekking routes around Mount S. Egidio, from where the Val di Chiana and Lake Trasimeno dominate, with some sections of the Roman road still intact.