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La Cortonese

July 13 2025

Cortona Italy

Date Confirmed

Distances: 59, 73 km

On an evening in the early months of 2018, a group of cycling friends from the A.S.D. Polisportiva Val di Loreto, lovers of vintage cycling, decided to organize a historic cycle in the municipality of Cortona. The main reasons for the creation of this event were linked to this delightful town, an Etruscan city par excellence, visited every year by tens of thousands of tourists for its historical wonders, food and wine and its wonderful landscapes, which undoubtedly deserve to host an event that combines the tourist aspect with the passion for cycling.

The Cortona area is home to enchanting dirt roads that gently cross the countryside of the Val di Chiana, skirting fields of wheat or sunflowers and fine vineyards. These roads often fit into the middle of olive groves, small groves and rows of cypresses, allowing a glimpse of old renovated farmhouses and farms that house wineries of international importance.

The cycling routes in Cortona are not limited to this: our territory is also crossed by the Sentiero della Bonifica, divided into various sections that allow you to flank rivers and streams with paths that can only be traveled on foot or by bicycle.

Upstream of this landscape stands Mount Sant'Egidio, on whose slopes the city of Cortona extends, surrounded by cyclopean walls of Etruscan origin, rich in monuments, historic buildings, churches in which you can admire works by internationally renowned artists, as well as very suggestive squares and alleys. The history of Cortona is so ancient that in classical times it was said that Dardano, the mythological founder of Troy, came from here, and that therefore the town could be defined as the "grandmother of Rome".

To the northwest of the hill lies the Val di Loreto, from which the Polisportiva organizer of the event takes its name. Within its territory there are some archaeological sites of very high historical interest, such as the two Etruscan mounds known as Melone I and Melone II, within the Sodo Archaeological Park.

A few hundred meters from the Archaeological Park, in the locality of Tavarnelle, stands the Val di Loreto sports facility that will host the start and finish of the Cortonese, the name assigned to the historic cycle in honor of the city of Cortona.

The route of the event will cross all these places, along which various refreshment points will be located where you can savor typical dishes and taste fine wines from local wineries. The cyclists will move strictly aboard vintage bicycles (built before 1987), rediscovered in the dust of cellars or garages and polished for a second youth, wearing wool jerseys and shorts from the historical era.

On their return, all competitors will be hosted at the table at the Polisportiva premises and will be able to enjoy a free lunch based on local products and wines.

La Cortonese