The Amazing Etruscans

Cortona is a Tuscan village in Italy where my fellow workshop participants and I spent 4 days painting (May 2016), exploring the ancient history, and feasting on the food… It was incredibly enjoyable, as was the charm of the narrow cobblestone streets and clay tiled roofs.

The drive up to the town was a long ascent via winding roads culminating in a breathtaking view over the vast valley below. Imagine my surprise when I first pushed open my hotel room shutters to this amazing view! (Just like in the movie, “A Room with a View” 🙂

The Etruscans

From our tour guide I learned that three million years ago, there was a shallow sea in this entire valley radiating out from the present day Lake Trasimeno (which you can see from my window). It was the ancient Etruscans who were the first civilization to inhabit this area, and they made an indelible mark. Soon after about 700 BC, the Etruscans began large scale land improvement schemes, including drainage, land reclamation and irrigation of the area. A complicated, skillfully constructed network of canals collected surplus and stagnant water which were channeled to wherever they were needed for farming purposes, and any excess still remaining was carried in big drains down to the sea……. The Etruscans first developed the technique of dry farming. From about 700 BC onwards, fruitful groves, fields and gardens began to replace tracts of forest, swamps and impenetrable thickets which transformed the valley which is still flourishing today.

My photos of the ancient walls:

Ancient stone walls, and elaborate Etruscan wells are proudly preserved through out Cortona. Here you can see the newer bricks that support the very old stones that comprised the defensive wall around the city.