Bibbiena Attractions
The lively market town of Bibbiena, the chief place in the fertile Casentino area, lies at the junction of the Archiano with the Arno, some 30km/20 mi north of Arezzo.
The town may originally have been an Etruscan foundation. On account of its excellent strategic situation its possession was hotly contested during the Middle Ages and down to the 15th century. Bibbiena's principal historical monument is the Palazzo Dovizi, a Renaissance palace built for Cardinal Bernardo Dovizi in 1498. Like most of the other town mansions in Bibbiena, it is privately owned and is not open to the public. Facing it is the Church of San Lorenzo (originally built 1474), with terracottas by the della Robbias.
The Parish Church of San Ippolito, higher up, dates from the 12th century but was remodeled in the Baroque period. Notable features are stained-glass windows by Ruggiero Biggeri and frescoes of the 14th and 15th centuries.
The town may originally have been an Etruscan foundation. On account of its excellent strategic situation its possession was hotly contested during the Middle Ages and down to the 15th century. Bibbiena's principal historical monument is the Palazzo Dovizi, a Renaissance palace built for Cardinal Bernardo Dovizi in 1498. Like most of the other town mansions in Bibbiena, it is privately owned and is not open to the public. Facing it is the Church of San Lorenzo (originally built 1474), with terracottas by the della Robbias.
The Parish Church of San Ippolito, higher up, dates from the 12th century but was remodeled in the Baroque period. Notable features are stained-glass windows by Ruggiero Biggeri and frescoes of the 14th and 15th centuries.
Santa Maria del Sasso
The Church of Santa Maria del Sasso is a Renaissance structure of 1495, replacing earlier churches on the same site. The original church was built on the spot where there was an apparition of the Virgin in 1347. Above the altar is a fresco, "Madonna del Sasso", probably by the Florentine painter Bicci di Lorenzo (1350-1427); on the rear face of the central tabernacle is a representation of the miraculous apparition of the Virgin.
