Other sights in Arezzo
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Pieve di Santa Maria
This 12th-century church has a magnificent Romanesque arcaded facade, in form reminiscent of the cathedral at Pisa, yet without the glorious marble facing. Over the central doorway are lively carved reliefs representing the months of the year. The 14th-century bell tower with its 40 apertures is something of an emblem for the city. The monochrome of the interior’s warm, grey stone is relieved by Pietro Lorenzetti’s fine polyptych, Madonna and Saints, beneath the semidome of the apse.
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Cathedral
Arezzo’s cathedral was started in the 13th century yet was not completed until well into the 15th century. In the northeast corner, left of the main altar, an exquisite fresco of Mary Magdalene by Piero della Francesca is dwarfed in size, but not beauty, by the rich marble reliefs of the tomb of Bishop Guido Tarlati.
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Chiesa di San Francesco
Gracing the apse of this 14th-century church is one of the greatest works of Italian art, Piero della Francesca’s fresco cycle of the Legend of the True Cross (1452–66). This masterpiece relates in 10 episodes a highly coloured subsequent history of the cross on which Christ was crucified.
You can get some sense of the frescoes from beyond the cordon in front of the altar, but to really appreciate them up close, plan ahead for a visit with audioguide. As only 25 people are allowed in every half-hour, it’s essential to prebook by phone or at any of the sites that participate in the combined ticket scheme. The ticket office is at Piazza San Francesco 4, to the right of …
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