Arezzo, capital of the province of the same name, lies in northeastern Tuscany some 80km/50mi southeast of Florence and near the left bank of the Arno.
History and art
Umbrians and the Etruscans settled on the hill which rises above the surrounding fertile countryside. The Roman military post was founded here by Gaius Maecenas (c. 70-8 B.C.); he was a friend of Augustus and used his influence to promote the poets who came to visit the Emperor's palace. Arezzo was the birthplace of Guido Monaco (Guido of Arezzo, c. 990-1050), who invented our system of musical notation, Francesco Petrarca (1304-74), the great poet and father of humanism and the satirical poet Pietro Aretino (1492-1556).
Housed in a former monastery, which itself was built on the ruins of an ancient amphitheater, is the Archeological Museum. Displays features finds from the Stone and Bronze Ages, along with pieces from the Etruscan and Roman periods.
Nearly 700 hundred years in the making, the Arezzo Cathedral is particularly well known for the stained-glass windows by Fra Guillaume de Marcillat, and the Tomb of Pope Gregory X.
The Franciscan Friary contains the Church of Santa Maria degli Ángeli, the Chiesa Maggiore, and the Cappella della Stimmate, all containing important works of art.
Behind the church of Santa Maria della Pieve is the picturesque Piazza Grande, scene of the Giastro del Saracino, the medieval joust performed on the first Sunday in September. At the west side of the square stands the beautiful Palazzo della Faternitaå dei Laici (1375-1460), on the north side the Palazzo delle Logge, built in 1573 and named after the loggias which face the piazza.
This two-story house in Via XX Settembre was acquired by the painter and architect Giorgio Vasari (1511-74) in 1540, and between that year and 1548 he decorated it with a series of fine frescoes; the so-called Cámera d'Apollo is particularly notable. The house is now occupied by the Museo e Archivo Varsariano.
Address: Casa di Giorgio Vasari, Via XX Settembre 55, I-52100 Arezzo, Italy
Hours:
9am-7pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Assumption Day - Christian (August 15)
In the same block as the Palazzo Pretorio, in Via dell'Orto, is the Casa del Petrarca, said to be the birthplace of the poet (1304-74). In fact the building dates only from the 17th century. The building, largely destroyed during the Second World War but rebuilt in 1948, is now the headquarters of the celebrated Accadémia Petrarca di Léttere, Arti e Scienze.
Address: Casa di Petrarca, Via dell'Orto 28, I-52100 Arezzo, Italy
A long flight of steps leads up to the Chiesa di Badia (abbey church), originally founded in the 14th century by Benedictines from Monte Cassino. Its present form is the result of a major reconstruction by Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century. The church, dedicated to SS Flora and Lucilla, has lateral aisles separated from the nave by pillars. The nave is roofed by two shallow domes, the second of which has a highly effective architectural painting in trompe-l'Üil perspective by Andrea Pozzo (1703).
The Joust of the Saracen festival takes place on the third Saturday in June and the first Sunday in September. The event is a recreation of a contest between 13th century knights in armor.
Some 500m/550yd northwest of the cathedral, in the Via Garibaldi, is the Palazzo Bruni-Ciocchi. The palazzo now houses the Galleria e Museo Medievale e Moderna, which contains works by Margaritone d'Arezzo ("St Francis"), Parri di Spinello ("Angels and Saints") Bartolomeo della Gata ("St Roch"), Luca Signorelli ("Adoration"), Andrea della Robbia ("Madonna and Saints") and Rosso Fiorentino ("Madonna"), as well as majolica, sculpture and other works of art of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque period.
Address: Museum of Art, Via di San Lorentino 8, I-52100 Arezzo, Italy
Hours:
9am-7pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
The Palazzo delle Logge (Palace of the Loggias) closes the northeast side of the Piazza Grande. Built between 1573 and 1581 to the design of Giorgio Vasari, it takes its name from the wide loggias opening on to the square. In front of the palazzo is a reproduction of the Petrone, a pillory in which delinquents were exposed to public infamy.
The Palazzo Pretorio (formerly Palazzo Albergotti) stands just north of the Church of Santa Maria in Arezzo. Originally built in 1322, it was much altered in the 17th century. The facade, with two orders of windows, bears numerous coats of arms belonging to podestà and commissari (Florentine governors) from the 15th century onwards. From 1404 to 1926 the palazzo also served as a prison; it now houses a municipal library.
Facing the cathedral, to the west, is the Palazzo del Comune (formerly also known as the Palazzo dei Priori), now the Town Hall. It was built in 1333 as the official residence of the Governor of the municipal guilds. From 1384 it was the seat of the Florentine commissari, who adorned the facade lavishly with their coats of arms.
Immediately adjoining the Palazzo del Tribunale is the Palazzo della Fraternità dei Laici, an elegant building erected in the 14th and 15th centuries by the lay Fraternity of Santa Maria della Misericordia, a charitable body established by the Dominicans in 1262. The striking facade was begun in Gothic style by Baldino di Cino in 1375, continued in Renaissance style by Bernardo Rossellino in 1433 and completed in 1460. The bell-cote was added by Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century.
To the east of the cathedral in Arezzo is the beautiful park known as the Passeggio del Prato, with a monument to Petrarch (1928). It extends southeast to the Fortezza (rebuilt in the 16th century on 13th century foundations), from which there are extensive views.
The Roman Amphitheater (Anfiteatro Romano) in Arezzo, built in the A.D. second century, bears witness to the importance of the town in Roman times. In later centuries it suffered much dilapidation, being used as a convenient source of building stone for the town walls, the Church of San Bernardo, the seminary and other buildings. The amphitheater (121m/397ft long by 68m/223ft across), could accommodate between 8,000 and 10,000 spectators.
Address: Arezzo Archeological Museum, Roman Amphitheater, Via Margaritone 10, I-52100 Arezzo, Italy
Hours:
9am-2pm
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
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