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Introducing Arezzo
Bombed back to the Renaissance Age during WWII, Arezzo may not be a Tuscan centrefold, but the surviving parts of the historic centre are worthy competition for any destination in the region: the sloping Piazza Grande, the Pieve di Santa Maria and the five-star frescoes by Piero della Francesca in the Chiesa di San Francesco. The setting for much of Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-winning film La vita è bella (Life Is Beautiful), it’s well worth a visit, easily accomplished as a day trip from Florence.
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Arezzo, in its time an important Etruscan town, was later absorbed into the Roman Empire. A free republic as early as the 10th century, it supported the Ghibelline cause in the violent battles between pope and emperor and was eventually subjugated by Florence in 1384.
It’s also the birthplace of the Renaissance poet Petrarch, who popularised the sonnet format, penning his verses in both Latin and Italian, and Giorgio Vasari, the prolific painter and architect who contributed so much to Renaissance Florence.
Arezzo stages a huge, 500-exhibitor antiques fair in Piazza Grande on the first weekend of every month.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
