Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AREZZO
Arezzo is most famous for its medieval square, scene of a yearly jousting festival;
its massive Duomo; and Piero della Francesca's Legend of the True Cross fresco. But
take a walk through the evocative old town and you can't help but notice you have
entered the land of Vasari. Giorgio Vasari, architect, painter, sculptor, writer, and
general busybody was born in Arezzo in 1512 and appears to have designed, built,
or painted everything in town aside from the Roman amphitheater (he was prob-
ably on the renovation committee for that, too).
You can stand on Via Vasari in the Loggia di Vasari in Arezzo's Piazza Grande,
and admire the Vasari-designed bell tower at the top of the palace. Walk uphill to
the Duomo to see Vasari's cantoria (choir gallery), as well as his paintings in the
museum there. On your way to the city museum to admire more Vasari paintings,
you can stop at his self-consciously elegant house. Vasari did the altar and frescoes
at the Badia church, and a work in the Santissima Annunziata. He doesn't have
any frescoes in San Domenio, but sure enough, his dad does. No matter how
much you love Vasari, by the time you leave Arezzo, you may be feeling like Mark
Twain after a tour of Michelangelo's work: “I never felt so fervently thankful, so
soothed, so tranquil, so filled with a blessed peace, as I did yesterday when I
learned that the man was dead.”
While Vasari's achievements are worth a look, the real artistic treat in town is
Francesca's fresco in San Francesco (just try saying that 10 times fast . . .). The
15th-century masterwork illustrating everything from original sin to redemption
has been recently restored and is a must-see, along with the Duomo and the main
square. But don't make the mistake of thinking Arezzo is as dead as Vasari: The
first Sunday of every September, the city holds its Giostra del Saraceno jousting
competition, and in late June Arezzo turns into techno-paradise with the Arezzo
Wave music fest.
DON'T LEAVE AREZZO WITHOUT . . .
VIEWING FRANCESCA'S LEGEND OF THE TRUE CROSS
One of the
greatest works of Italian art, it's in San Francesco Church.
STROLLING AROUND PIAZZA GRANDE View the Palazzo della
Fraternità and Vasari's Loggia, and then peek into antiques shops in the area.
VISITING THE DUOMO
Savor its notable stained glass, chapels, and
frescoes.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF AREZZO
Arezzo began as an Etruscan city-state about 500 B . C ., controlling trade routes
through the central Apennine mountains until Roman legions colonized the area.
Visitors can still see remnants of Arezzo's Roman amphitheater, built in the 1st
and 2nd century A . D . Its 9,000 seats point to the vitality of the city at that time.
The control of trade routes enabled Arezzo to become a prosperous state in the
10th century, allowing the good times to continue until Florentine armies
destroyed Arezzo forces in 1289. While it lost its independence, Arezzo main-
tained its artistic vitality, giving birth to the careers of the poet Petrarch in the
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