Visit to the historic center of Arezzo
Arezzo is a treasure chest, walking through its narrow streets will take you back in time until the Middle Ages that still persists in the architecture of the city. In Arezzo there are 25 centuries of history and, traces of its glorious past are kept in the historic center and in the surroundings of the city.
What is there to see in Arezzo?
Although part of the medieval city was destroyed during World War II, the center of Arezzo still boasts beautiful monuments, churches, palaces and museums. Your visit can only start from Piazza Grande (or Vasari), undoubtedly one of the most beautiful squares in Italy. Built by the architect Vasari and shaped on a difference in height, it is a marvel overlooked by important buildings such as Palazzo Tofani, the Lappoli Tower, the Vasari Loggias, the Pieve di Santa Maria, the Court Palace and the Palazzo della Fraità dei Laici. If you are in Arezzo on the first weekend of the month, in Piazza Grande you will have the appointment with Fiera Antiquaria, the vintage market of the city.
Do not miss a visit to the Pieve di Santa Maria, one of the most beautiful and interesting churches in Arezzo in Romanesque style, to cap your attention will be the bell tower that here they call a hundred holes, because of the fork windows. The interior of the church houses the polyptych of Pietro Lorenzetti. On the remains of an ancient early Christian church today you will find the Cathedral of San Donato, the Gothic-style church is illuminated by the stained glass windows of Guillame de Marcillat. Among the most important works in the Duomo you can admire the fresco of Maddalena by Piero della Francesca, painted in the left aisle.
One of the most important works by Piero della Francesca you will also find in the Basilica of San Francesco, here you will be able to admire The Legend of the True Cross, the cycle of frescoes inspired by the Golden Legend. After a visit to the church, the Medici Fortress and its beautiful green space, the Prato Park, are worth a stop. Just below the park you will find the house of Petrarch that you can visit. Did you know that there is also a small well here that was mentioned in the Decameron? Do not miss the view that you can enjoy from the small park where the ruins of the People's Captain's Palace are located: Palazzo Pretorio is spectacular.
There is another church that you absolutely must not miss in your itinerary to discover Arezzo, it is the Basilica of San Domenico, a very simple church in Roman-Gothic style that inside houses the first work made by Cimabue, the Crucifix. You cannot visit Arezzo and miss Casa Vasari which today is a museum, here you can see the Chamber of The Muses, that of Fame and the Arts, the room of Abraham and the Salone del Camino.
Reach Piazza della Libertà to admire Palazzo dei Priori, characterized by the 14th-century tower, is the seat of the municipality of Arezzo. Among the most beautiful museums in the city visit the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art housed inside Palazzo Bruni Ciocchi, here you will find an important collection of paintings by Arezzo artists. Before leaving the city, do not miss the visit to the remains of the Roman Amphitheater dating back to the 1st century .C, in this area you will also find the Archaeological Museum.
WHAT TO SEE IN AREZZO
- Piazza Grande
- Palazzo Tofani
- Lapponi Tower
- Palazzo Pretorio
- Parish church of Santa Maria
- Basilica of San Francesco
- Cathedral of San Donato
- Medici Fortress
- Park of Prato
- House of Petrarch
- Vasari House
- National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art
- Media Museum
- archaeological Museum
- Roman amphitheater
