BASILICA DELLA PIEVE - AREZZO

A very ancient city (founded, according to legend, by Greeks in the year 2557 after the creation of the world), Arezzo is built on a mass of rock at the meeting of four valleys: the Casentino, the upper Valdarno, the Valdichiana and the upper Valtiberina. In the fifth century BC it was one of the twelve cities of the Etruscan League dominating central Italy. Under the Romans, Arezzo became an important center for traffic passing both on the north-south and on the east-west axis; it marked the confluence of major Roman roads such as the Flaminia minor (from Bologna), the Cassia (from Florence) and the Riminensis (from Rimini).

As a traditionally Ghibelline city Arezzo was often in conflict with Guelf Florence. It flourished, especially in the 15th century under the lordship of the Tarlati, and maintained its prestige in Medici times when its medieval fabric received important renaissance additions. The city contributed significantly to the artistic and cultural life of the Tuscan Grand Duchy, with, among others, the artist and biographer Giorgio Vasari (1511-74); the botanist and physician Andrea Cesalpino (1519-1603), famous for his studies on the circulation of the blood; and Francesco Redi (1626-98), the celebrated man of letters and naturalist.

 

Although there has been much construction in modern times, particularly just after the Second World War, Arezzo has managed to keep its historic center fairly intact, and deserves to be visited for at least a long weekend. Try if possible to time your visit for the first Sunday of the month so as to catch one of the most important antiques markets of Italy: the town will be seething with visitors, but it is a unique experience to explore the old streets and squares of Arezzo crowded with antiques of all kinds, paintings, statues, furniture, and there are plenty of bargains to be had.

We suggest you begin your visit from the railway station (Piazza Repubblica): Arezzo has excellent rail connections with Florence, Rome and Perugia, and motorists will be able to park fairly easily near the station. From Piazza Repubblica follow via Guido Monaco, passing through Piazza Guido Monaco, to reach Piazza San Francesco. The Gothic Franciscan church has an extraordinary cycle of frescoes by Piero della Francesca in the Bacci chapel in the apse. After a lengthy restoration part of the cycle is now visible in its original beauty, and is alone worth a visit to the city.

Following via Cavour and turning left up Corso Italia, or else taking via Cesalpino and then turning right, you will reach the Pieve di Santa Maria, one of the most beautiful examples of Tuscan Romanesque, with its tower with "a hundred openings" (there are actually 40 mullioned windows). Inside there is an interesting crypt, and a lovely polyptych by Piero Lorenzetti over the high altar (1320). Passing along the flank of the Pieve you will come to Piazza Grande, the heart of the historic center, with an amazing variety of medieval and renaissance architecture: on the north-west side is the apse of the Pieve, the 16th-century public fountain, and the elegant façade of the Palazzo della Fraternitá dei Laici, where medieval forms have been ingeniously incorporated into graceful 15th century architecture by Bernardo Rossellino and Giuliano da Settignano; on the south-east and the south-west respectively are the 14th century tower of the Lappoli with the Palazzo Cofani Brizzolari and the 13th century Faggiolana tower; finally on the north-east side of the square is Vasari's Palazzo delle Logge, in elegance and grandeur the worthy sister of the Uffizi in Florence.

Turn right at the end of the loggia and reach the Palazzo Pretorio, before turning left into via dell'Orto; Nr 28 is the Casa Petrarca, where according to local tradition the poet Petrarch was born in 1304. Heading north-west through typical medieval streets you will come to the piazza and church of Santa Maria a Gradi, worth visiting for its characteristic Counter-Reformation interior by Bartolomeo Ammannati. Via XX Settembre leads to the Casa Vasari, now a museum (weekdays 9.00-18.30, Sundays 9.00-12.30) with mannerist paintings from the time of Vasari, as well as the wooden model of the Logge. Returning eastwards towards the Cathedral, visit the church of San Domenico, with a stupendous Crucifix by Cimabue. Take the via Sassoverde and climb the Cathedral hill, surmounted by a statue of the Grand Duke Ferdinando I made in 1595 by Pietro Francavilla. Inside the Cathedral are many interesting works of art, including the funerary monument to Guido Tarlati, Bishop and Lord of Arezzo (died 1327), and beautiful stained glass by Guillaume di Marcillat. We return to the station by way of the public gardens, the Medicean fortress built by Cosimo I, the remains of the Roman Amphitheatre (entrances in via Margaritone and via Crispi) and the Archeological museum.

PIAZZA GRANDE - AREZZO

FRESCO CYCLE BY PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA - S. FRANCESCO - AREZZO

The discovery of Piero della Francesca

Among all the great works of art in Arezzo, by far the greatest is the fresco cycle by Piero della Francesca in the Bacci chapel in San Francesco. Painted between 1453 and 1464, the frescoes tell the story of the Legend of the Cross with a sensibility and a formal language that are entirely new. Beginning at the top right, eleven scenes trace the history of wood cut from the tree in the Garden of Paradise: the death of Adam, the meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Saba; the dream of Constantine and his victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge; the torture of the Jew named Judas, and the discovery of the True Cross; the defeat of the Persian king Chosroes; the restoration of the Cross to Jerusalem by Heraclius. This tremendous and unique cycle has been the victim of numerous "restorations" from the 16th century onwards. It is particularly fragile because it is mostly painted in "tempera" rather than true fresco, and over the years has suffered from earthquakes, from ill-judged building works and from the vandalism of man (in the early 19th century French troops used it for target practice). The present restoration is one of the most complex and thorough ever attempted on a work of this importance. Some of the frescoes are already visible; before long the wall of Piero's masterpiece will be revealed as one of the great pictorial cycles of the Renaissance.

MONASTERY OF CAMALDOLI - CASENTINO

The river Tiber, after gushing out from the Fumaiolo through the woods of the Bastione and the first cliffs, flows downhill towards Pieve Santo Stefano. Gathering the waters from several tributaries it spreads out in the valley and wends its way between Anghiari and Sansepolcro. The riverland environment is naturally well conserved, rich in woods and flora and its banks are seeped in history and civilisation. This sort of environment is ideal for excursions on foot and horseback, with 320 kilometres of more or less difficult tracks winding all over the Valtiberina, that can be covered during day trips lasting from four to five hours on foot. If made on horseback, or wherever possible by bicycle, the itineraries are easy to follow, with well indicated signs at all the various path crossings. These excursions are tailor-made for all those who wish to plunge into an uncontaminated environment in order to rediscover that fine balance between body and soul. The scenery changes constantly and it is possible to come across ancient settlements, with traces of very old roads and churches. In fact, this land opens its arms to everyone like a great mother-figure, helping us to make our long spiritual journey.

The Casentino, identified as the upper valley of the River Arno, an oasis of greenery in the Toscan-Romagnolo Apennines, is rightly considered one of the most beautiful parts of Tuscany. Seeped in history since the era of the Etruscans, who built up several colonies here, it reached the peak of its splendour in the Middle Ages with the flowering of castles, parishes and monasteries all over the territory. Its boundaries are rimmed by mountain ranges forming an amphitheatre dotted with towers and the river flowing through the middle. Descending from Mount Falterona the Arno crosses the valley, leaving Pratomagno and the Catenaia Alps behind as it furrows its way through the Aretino countryside and then abruptly swings away towards Florence, as in the words of Dante: "disdainful, it refrains from going towards those snarling Aretini...". The green of the woods and the abundance of water, always landmarks in this uncontaminated countryside, are most pronounced in the National Park of the Casentino Forests, Monte Falterona, Campigna, Pratomagno and the Catenaia Alps.

CASTELLO DEI CONTI GUIDI - POPPI - CASENTINO

LUCIGNANO - ITS ARCHITECTURE IS ELLIPTICAL IN FORM, A RARE EXAMPLE OF MEDIEVAL CONSTRUCTION

When viewed from Cortona the Val di Chiana looks like a 500 square-metre garden filled with orderly crops. During Etruscan times it was considered the granary of Etruria, as testified by important archaeological findings that have surfaced all over the territory, with the tombs of Camucia and Sodo and the relics of Farneta, Cignano and Castiglion Fiorentino. The Etruscans managed to reclaim this territory, just like the Lorena family centuries later, thus restoring its antique fertility and disseminating villages and the magnificent, so-called "Leopoldine" farmhouses all over the land. The Val di Chiana is famous worldwide as the exclusive breeding place of a specific type of cattle for beef, known as "Chianina". Its soil also produces other important fruits like cereals, highly-prized olive oil and a typical wine, called the "Bianco Vergine della Valdichiana". Starting from Arezzo, we can make a tour of the valley and visit its beautiful medieval villages, Monte San Savino, Lucignano, Marciano, Foiano della Chiana, Castiglion Fiorentino, Cortona, lying amidst the lush hills covered with olive groves and vineyards.

 

A mountain range breaks away from the central Apennines carrying the river Arno through two valleys on its journey towards the city of Arezzo: the Casentino valley to the east and the Valdarno to the west, green lands rich in art and religious traditions that have also been materialised in the extraordinary architecture, like the abbey of Vallombrosa on the massif of Pratomagno. The Valdarno opens onto changing landscapes, at times incoherent, but always fascinating and captivating with the medieval villages dotted about and the romantic parishes found all over the countryside.

 

PALAZZO D'ARNOLFO - SAN GIOVANNI VALDARNO