Tuscany: Arezzo

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Arezzo is a terrific town (head to the medieval center) and birthplace of the poet Petrarch (his house, Casa Petrarch is on Via dell’Orto). It is located on a hillside between Casentino, Valdichiana and the upper Valdarno. The Gothic Chiesa di San Francesco (13th century) has fine frescoes painted by Piero della Francesco. The frescoes depict The Legend of the True Cross (on 3 walls of the choir – Bacci Chapel). The bell tower dates to the 16th century. Another church to see on the Corso Italia is the Tuscan-Romanesque Santa Maria della Pieve (12th – 14th centuries) made of sandstone. Inside you’ll find a masterpiece by Lorenzetti called ‘Madonna and Saint’. Just behind the church is the fabulous Piazza Grande (with different styles of architecture). On the third Sunday in June and the first Sunday in September the medieval joust called the Giostra del Saracino is performed. Also on the square are the 16th century public fountain, the Gothic-Renaissance Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici and the Renaissance Palazzo delle Logge/Loggiato Vasariano. Opposite the Palazzo delle Logge is the Palazzo Pretorio/Palazzo del Comune decorated with the coats of arms of the former mayors of town. Other churches to visit are: Chiesa di San Domenico with its restored ‘Crucifix’ by Cimabue; Badia delle Sante Flora e Lucilla; La Santissima Annunziata; and outside of town Santa Maria delle Grazie and Pieve di Sant’Eugenia al Bagnoro. The Museo Archeologico Gaio Cilnio Mecenate is in a former 16th century monastery and overlooks the Roman Amphitheater (built under Hadrian in AD 117-138). It houses a fine collection of Etruscan, Roman and Hellenistic artifacts (and then some). The Museo Statale d’Arte Medievale e Moderna is located in the 15th century Renaissance Palazzo Bruni-Ciocchi. The collection offers a great display of art from Arezzo and Tuscany from the 14th through the 19th centuries. Market day is Saturday in Arezzo.