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Arezzo

Arezzo may not be a Tuscan centrefold, but those parts of its historic centre that survived merciless WWII bombings are as compelling as any destination in the region – the city's central square is as beautiful as it appears in Roberto Benigni's classic film La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful).

Once an important Etruscan trading post, Arezzo 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.

Today, the city is known for its churches, museums and fabulously sloping Piazza Grande, across which a huge antiques fair spills each month. Come dusk, Arentini (locals of Arezzo) spill along the length of shop-clad Corso Italia for the ritual late-afternoon passeggiata (stroll).

Explore Arezzo

Cappella Bacci
This chapel, in the apse of 14th-century Basilica di San Francesco, safeguards one of Italian art's greatest works: Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle…
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RICERCA Restoration Studio
Art lovers will adore visiting this conservation laboratory. The base of Art Angels Arezzo (www.artangelsarezzo.org), a group of professional art…
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Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pieve
This 12th-century church – Arezzo's oldest – has an exotic Romanesque arcaded facade adorned with carved columns, each individually decorated. Above the…
M
Museo Archeologico Nazionale 'Gaio Cilnio Mecenate'
Overlooking the remains of a Roman amphitheatre that once seated up to 10,000 spectators, this museum – named after Gaius Maecenas (68–8 BC), a patron of…
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Piazza Grande
This lopsided and steeply sloping piazza is overlooked at its upper end by the porticoes of the Palazzo delle Logge Vasariane, completed in 1573…
M
Museo di Casa Vasari
Built and sumptuously decorated by Arezzo-born painter, architect and art historian Giorgio Vasari (1511–74), this museum is where Vasari lived and worked…
B
Badia delle Sante Flora e Lucilla
This 13th-century abbey was rebuilt to a design by Vasari in the 16th century, and its austerely elegant Romanesque exterior stands in extreme contrast to…
M
Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra
Located inside a stunning 13th-century palazzo where the bishop of Arezzo lived from 1256, this museum exhibits 12th- to 16th-century works of sacred art…
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Galleria Comunale D'Arte Contemporanea
Showcasing the work of contemporary visual artists – many based in the Arezzo region – this multifloor art gallery in a building next to the Basilica di…

Cappella Bacci
This chapel, in the apse of 14th-century Basilica di San Francesco, safeguards one of Italian art's greatest works: Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle…
R
RICERCA Restoration Studio
Art lovers will adore visiting this conservation laboratory. The base of Art Angels Arezzo (www.artangelsarezzo.org), a group of professional art…
C
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pieve
This 12th-century church – Arezzo's oldest – has an exotic Romanesque arcaded facade adorned with carved columns, each individually decorated. Above the…
M
Museo Archeologico Nazionale 'Gaio Cilnio Mecenate'
Overlooking the remains of a Roman amphitheatre that once seated up to 10,000 spectators, this museum – named after Gaius Maecenas (68–8 BC), a patron of…
P
Piazza Grande
This lopsided and steeply sloping piazza is overlooked at its upper end by the porticoes of the Palazzo delle Logge Vasariane, completed in 1573…
M
Museo di Casa Vasari
Built and sumptuously decorated by Arezzo-born painter, architect and art historian Giorgio Vasari (1511–74), this museum is where Vasari lived and worked…
B
Badia delle Sante Flora e Lucilla
This 13th-century abbey was rebuilt to a design by Vasari in the 16th century, and its austerely elegant Romanesque exterior stands in extreme contrast to…
M
Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra
Located inside a stunning 13th-century palazzo where the bishop of Arezzo lived from 1256, this museum exhibits 12th- to 16th-century works of sacred art…
G
Galleria Comunale D'Arte Contemporanea
Showcasing the work of contemporary visual artists – many based in the Arezzo region – this multifloor art gallery in a building next to the Basilica di…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Arezzo.

See
Cappella Bacci
This chapel, in the apse of 14th-century Basilica di San Francesco, safeguards one of Italian art's greatest works: Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle…
See
RICERCA Restoration Studio
Art lovers will adore visiting this conservation laboratory. The base of Art Angels Arezzo (www.artangelsarezzo.org), a group of professional art…
See
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pieve
This 12th-century church – Arezzo's oldest – has an exotic Romanesque arcaded facade adorned with carved columns, each individually decorated. Above the…
See
Museo Archeologico Nazionale 'Gaio Cilnio Mecenate'
Overlooking the remains of a Roman amphitheatre that once seated up to 10,000 spectators, this museum – named after Gaius Maecenas (68–8 BC), a patron of…
See
Piazza Grande
This lopsided and steeply sloping piazza is overlooked at its upper end by the porticoes of the Palazzo delle Logge Vasariane, completed in 1573…
See
Museo di Casa Vasari
Built and sumptuously decorated by Arezzo-born painter, architect and art historian Giorgio Vasari (1511–74), this museum is where Vasari lived and worked…
See
Badia delle Sante Flora e Lucilla
This 13th-century abbey was rebuilt to a design by Vasari in the 16th century, and its austerely elegant Romanesque exterior stands in extreme contrast to…
See
Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra
Located inside a stunning 13th-century palazzo where the bishop of Arezzo lived from 1256, this museum exhibits 12th- to 16th-century works of sacred art…
See
Galleria Comunale D'Arte Contemporanea
Showcasing the work of contemporary visual artists – many based in the Arezzo region – this multifloor art gallery in a building next to the Basilica di…

Guidebooks

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