Rooms with a view are the rule rather than the exception in this spectacularly sited hilltop town. Large chunks of Under the Tuscan Sun, the 2003 film of the book by Frances Mayes, were shot here and the town has been a popular tourism destination ever since.
A splash of inky blue on the hilly landscape, Lago Trasimeno is where Umbria spills over into Tuscany. Italy's fourth-largest lake is a prime spot if you want to tiptoe off the well-trodden trail and slip into the languid rhythm of lake life. All around the 128-sq-km lake, olive groves, woods of oak and cypress trees, vines and sunflower fields frame castle-topped medieval towns, such as Castiglione del Lago and Passignano, draped along its shores like a daisy chain.
These are the top experiences and sights in Cortona and Lago di Trasimeno, according to Lonely Planet.
