GETTING THERE: SESSION ONE
[Go to Directions for Session Two]
Villa Michelangelo
Loc. Leoncini Monte 39
Sant'Andrea di Sorbello
52044 Cortona (AR)
Flights
Flights from the United States arrive at either Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (sometimes also called Fiumicino) and Milano's Malpensa Airport. If you connect in Europe, you can fly into one of Italy's many other airports; Pisa or Florence make the most sense. Expect to pay about $1,500 for a round-trip ticket.
Traveling By Train
Low-cost rail service is available from Leonardo da Vinci Airport to Stazione Termini in Rome, and affordable bus service is available from Malpensa Airport to Stazione Centrale in Milan. Students traveling by train can arrange with us pickups and dropoffs at the Camucia-Cortona station, on the Rome-Florence train line. The Terontola-Cortona station is also a viable alternative, although it is served less frequently. Visit ITALIA RAIL for complete timetables.
Car Rentals
Transportation (except to/from the train station) will not be provided. However, we can provide occasional rides to town. Renting a car is therefore not required, but because Villa Michelangelo is isolated, we strongly recommend that students plan among themselves to have one or preferably two additional vehicles available. In order to make these arrangments, we will provide students with each others' contact information well ahead of time. Car rentals are available from all the major travel sites, but we recommend using an agency called MAIELLANO, which offers competitive rates and better insurance than you can usually get from the agencies themselves.
Maps
Villa Michelangelo does not come up accurately in any online map, so please refer to the maps and directions you find on this page. Make sure to use everything you find on this page in conjunction with a detailed road atlas. Affordable ones are available from Touring Club Italiano or De Agostini at any highway rest stop and most newstands.
Left click on the image to view; right click to save. Unless stated otherwise, maps are in Windows BMP Format. |
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Map 1 - Central Italy: Shows airports and highways in relation to Cortona. |
Map 2 - Area (Small): General map showing Cortona and its environs. |
Map 3 - Area (Large): Detailed map of the area. File size is 19.3 MB. |
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Map 4 - Easy Cortona Driving Map: Shows the route from the A1 highway to Cortona. |
Map 5 - Villa Michelangelo: Shows the Niccone Valley, with routes to Villa Michelangelo highlighted in pink. |
Map 6 - Cortona (PDF Format): Detailed maps and index of Cortona and its comune (administrative area), including Camucia, Terontola, and Mercatale. |
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Directions to Cortona
Refer to Maps 1-4, especially Map 4. Also, see Map 6, which is a detailed map of the town of Cortona and its environs.
1) If coming from Rome, take the A1 autostrada (highway) north, for Firenze and Milano. If coming from Milano, take the A1 autostrada south to Bologna, then Firenze, and then heading for Rome.
2) Take the Valdichiana-Bettolle Sinalunga exit. If traveling north from Rome, this is the first exit after the Area di Servizio Montepulciano Est (East Montepulciano Service Area). If traveling south from Florence, this is the first exit after the Area di Servizio Lucignano Ovest (West Lucignano Service Area).
3) Pay the exit toll. Then follow signs for the toll-free highway to Perugia (going east) and get on it.
4) More than one exit will get you to Cortona. The best one is the Cortona-San Lorenzo exit, labelled "Uscita San Lorenzo" on Map 4. At the stop sign, make a right, toward Cortona.
5) Continue following signs for Cortona. The town should be clearly visible on the side of the hill as you approach (see first photo in the slideshow at the top of the page). Drive past Camucia and keep following signs for Cortona.
6) You will eventually reach a road that circles around Cortona's walls. There is a circular road around town. Park at any gate and walk to the center of town, which is Piazza della Reppublica. It will be clearly marked and anyone you meet can direct you. We recommend parking around Piazza Garibaldi near the southeastern gate – less uphill walking! If you are staying at Istituto Santa Margherita or Hotel San Luca, you will be able to walk to the center of town very easily.
Map 6 is a large, detailed map of the town of Cortona and its environs.rontola and Mercatale.
Directions to Villa Michelangelo
Unless you want to stop in Cortona, you should use these directions to drive straight to the villa. Once again, Villa Michelangelo's address (listed at the top of this page) does not come up accurately in online maps. In most cases the villa's road isn't even depicted. So please use the directions below.
From Rome/Milan:
Follow steps 1-3 of "Directions to Cortona," above. At that point you will find yourself on a toll-free highway, traveling from route A1 toward Perugia. Then follow the directions below, referring to Map 3 and Map 5.
4) Do not take the Cortona exit. After you reach Lago Trasimeno, a huge lake on your right, take the Touro exit. Head north, away from the lake and toward the ridge.
5) You will drive through the town of Tuoro. Stay on this road heading toward the top of the ridge by following signs for Mercatale and/or Umbertide.
6) At the top of the ridge you will pass by a trattoria (restaurant) called "Lo Scoiattolo." We will probably end up here at some point for a meal, so make a mental note of the location. Keep driving over the ridge and descend into the Niccone Valley. Continue to follow signs for Mercatale.
7) Continue through and past Mercatale. Disregard the sign for Cortona. Follow signs for Umbertide.
8) Exactly 3.90 km east of Mercatale, you will see a small bar and convenience store called Il Pino (The Pine), sitting at an intersection with a small road lined with mulberry trees. Make a LEFT here, onto this road.
9) Follow the paved road, making a RIGHT at each intersection or turnoff so long as the road is still paved. Do NOT make any right hand turns onto unpaved roads so long as paved road remains available.
10) After 3 km the paved portion of road ENDS and there is an immediate intersection with an unpaved road. Now make a RIGHT.
11) After 10 or 20 meters, make a LEFT. This is the driveway to the house.
12) The driveway is long and a bit steep, about 400 meters (1/4 mile). You will arrive at a large garage with three red doors, and the house is just above. Parking is front of the garage.
From Cortona:
Driving time from Cortona is about 30 minutes. Refer to Map 3 for steps 1-2 and Map 5 for steps 3-4.
1) Leave Cortona from the south, initially heading down toward Camucia. Follow signs for Mercatale.
2) You will end up on route SP35, heading east up a small valley (the Val di Pierle) and toward a ridge. If you are on the right road, you will pass through places like Campaccio, Pergo, and Montanare, but they are just small clusters of buildings. Cross over the ridge, continuing toward Mercatale.
3) You will reach the Niccone Valley and the small town of Mercatale. Follow signs for Umbertide, which will mean taking a left turn in the village center.
4) Go to step 8 of "Directions to Villa Michelangelo from Rome/Milan," above. Follow steps 8-12.
GETTING THERE: SESSION TWO
[Go to Directions for Session One]
Casa di Accoglienza religiosa San Lodovico
Piazza Ranieri, 5
05018 Orvieto (Terni)
tel. +39 0763 341739
fax +39 0763 391380
Flights
Flights from the United States arrive at either Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (sometimes also called Fiumicino) and Milano's Malpensa Airport. If you connect in Europe, you can fly into one of Italy's many other airports, such as Pisa or Florence, but Rome is the best choice for Orvieto. Expect to pay about $1,500 for a round-trip ticket.
Directions for Traveling By Train
Low-cost rail service is available from Leonardo da Vinci Airport to Stazione Termini in Rome, where trains regularly depart for Orvieto, on the rail line to Florence and northern Italy. Visit ITALIA RAIL for complete timetables.
If you're arriving in Orvieto by train, you can arrange with us pickups and dropoffs at the station, which is a few kilometers from (below, actually) the center of town. Or, you can take the funicular (cable car) up to town and Bus "Linea B" (B line). Ask the driver to stop at "Piazza Ranieri." (The town is easily walkable, but you may not wish to do so with a heavy bag.)
Car Rentals
Transportation (except to/from the train station) will not be provided. Because of the excellent rail service, renting a car is not required, but students may still wish to travel by car. We will provide students with each others' contact information well ahead of time so that those wishing to share a car rental can make arrangements. Car rentals are available from all the major travel sites, but we recommend using an agency called MAIELLANO, which offers competitive rates and better insurance than you can usually get from the agencies themselves.
Some students may be interested in renting a car only for the purposes of taking a day trip or two, for example to Todi or Lake Bolsena. There are rental agencies at the train station, including Hertz and Avis. Auto Europe also has a rental office in the town itself.
Maps
Make sure to use everything you find on this page in conjunction with a detailed road atlas. Affordable ones are available from Touring Club Italiano or De Agostini at any highway rest stop and most newstands.
Left click on the image to view; right click to save. Map 1 is Windows BMP Format. Maps 7 & 8 are JPG files. |
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Map 1 - Central Italy: Shows airports and highways in relation to Orvieto. |
Map 7 - Orvieto (detailed): Shows the train station (grid square A5) and Piazza de' Ranieri (squares C1 & C2), where Istituto San Lodovico is located. |
Map 8 - Orvieto (Simple): Shows the town with major landmarks highlighted. Istituto San Lodovico is on Piazza de' Ranieri, near the southwestern walls. |
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Driving Directions to Orvieto & Istituto San Lodovico
Refer to Maps 1 and 7.
1) If coming from Rome, take the A1 autostrada (highway) north, for Firenze and Milano. If coming from Milano, take the A1 autostrada south to Bologna, then Firenze, and then heading for Rome.
2) Take the Orvieto exit. This puts you near Orvieto's train station (you can see both the highway and the train station in grid square A5 of Map 7).
3) Pay the exit toll. Follow signs for Orvieto. The road will circle around up toward the medieval town.
4) Follow signs for parking lot "Foro Boario." We're told that until recently this lot, the town's largest, was called "Campo della Fiera." The latter is the name used on Map 8 in the southwestern corner. The parking lot is also marked with a blue "P" on grid square C1 of map 7. To be safe, keep an eye out for either name. Please note that this is a pay lot (see below).
5) Take the elevator or the mechanical escalators up to Piazza de' Ranieri (usually called simply "Ranieri"). Piazza de' Ranieri is on the edge of grid squares C1 and C2 on Map 7, and is also marked on Map 8, near the southwestern walls.
6) Look for the Istituto San Lodovico! See the photo of the entrance, below.
Parking
The parking lot nearest to the Istituto San Lodovico (see step 4 of the Directions, above), is a pay lot that costs €12/day. We are working on getting information about weekly subscriptions, which will hopefully be cheaper.
We are told that the parking lot at the train station is free. It connects to town via the cable car mentioned above in the directions for traveling by train. You can see where the cable car ("funicolare") joins the train station to the town in Map 7 (below), grid squares B4 & A5.
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