Arezzo is one of the most charming cities in Italy. Religious sites of Arezzo. What to see in Arezzo: the main sights of the city

There are different types of tourists. Someone goes for sea pleasures with diving, the beach and other related things. Others have a weakness for a "civilized" vacation - somewhere in the center of a European city, with an accompanying "star" hotel and a view eiffel tower from the window. Third - do not feed bread, let me touch various antiquities with my own hands. It is especially good if they are from the Middle Ages - in this case, the admirer has a strong sense of admiration for the fruits of culture that has made its way through dark times. You can easily experience this in Arezzo - perhaps the most medieval of all Italian cities.

However, traces of the ancient Roman civilization are well preserved here ...

At the same time, it is impossible not to notice that several Apennine settlements. Among them are Pompeii and. The first fell out of the jury's field of vision even after the well-known incident with the volcano, and the second such rivalry is not allowed by the state. Rome is Rome. Even if it's ancient.

Monuments of the goddess Minerva in Arezzo are quite common. Photo venividi.ru

But Arezzo was the generally recognized Etruscan capital - Titus Livy wrote about this in his historical writings. It still exists in this status, which is especially pleasing to those interested in the history of the Roman period. Quite a lot of evidence of the former greatness of Arezzo has been preserved. For example, sections of the city walls (rather massive, by the way), the ruins of an ancient necropolis (on Poggio del Sole), bronze sculptures and many more of the same. Under the Romans, the city became very strong, acquired a significant number of thermae, a theater, and other privileges associated with its status. He successfully held the defense against the barbarians, until, finally, in the 5th century he was conquered by the Lombards.

Arezzo is famous not only for references to the glorious imperial past, but also for the quite useful deeds of its glorious natives. Among them is Maecenas Gaius Tsilny, whose name has become a household name in our time. He really sincerely adored various arts and contributed a lot to their development, which caused the respect of other patricians. Here Petrarch, the founder of romantic sonnets, and Guido D'Arezzo, the Italian monk, who owns the musical notation, were born. As a result, the Russian show business is simply obliged to beat the holy man with daily bows. Unless, of course, its representatives use musical notation, which periodically raises serious doubts.

@alberto_sadini

90 kilometers northeast of the more famous one - and you are in Arezzo. The city was significantly damaged during the Second World War, after which many sights were partially restored - this was done quite efficiently, and you won’t even notice the difference between the masonry of the 12th century and the 60s of the past. And there are a lot of masonry, walls, stone houses and paved squares. So it will really be something to look at.

Getting to Arezzo, or to another "medieval" small city, of which there are plenty in Italy, you begin to doubt the hopeless darkness of that era. Of course, contemporaries knew better - the Inquisition and all that - but from the point of view of architecture, this is definitely not the worst period. Most of all there are churches and cathedrals, which can be explained by the peculiarities of the era. Many priceless buildings have been preserved in Arezzo, each of which is a unique example of medieval architecture.

For example, the Basilica of San Francesco, which houses the famous series of frescoes "The Legend of the Holy Cross". The exterior of the building is quite simple, but the interior decoration is worth dwelling on separately. First, the frescoes already mentioned: 10 scenes that have been relatively recently restored depict the story of the search for and finding the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Created using the latest visual techniques for that time, the frescoes are distinguished by the quality and atmospheric narration. It is best to walk around the basilica with an audio guide, which can be ordered in advance, or at the box office - Piazza San-Francesco, 4.

Basilica of San Francesco in Arezzo. Photo by @gc_di_her

Arezzo is one of the oldest cities in Tuscany, a real keeper of centuries dormant here. Reverence and awe should seize anyone who walks along its pavements - after all, Boccaccio in his Decameron described precisely these places. On via del Orto, the same octagonal well is still standing, into which the wife of one of the townspeople allegedly threw herself. And almost nearby - at the crossroads of via del Pileate and via del Orto - there is another century-old landmark: the house of the great Petrarch. Here was born the one who was destined to reform the European poetic genre, and at the same time give the world one of the greatest love stories - the poet's feelings for Laura are still considered by many to be the standard. Although, according to the testimony of contemporaries, Petrarch saw her only a few times in his life. Or maybe he didn't see it at all. That's it.

House of Petrarch. Photo venividi.ru

Stunned by the power of platonic love, let's go up the street to Piazza Duomo, where we will see gothic cathedral Cattedrale, which was erected for two incomplete centuries. The famous long-term construction that has survived to this day - the facade is still not finished. Be sure to visit the monastery of St. Bernardo (S. Bernardo), which was erected on the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater. For its intended purpose, the monastery was used from the 17th century until 1937, when the Archaeological Museum was established in it. Incidentally, giving him the name of the already mentioned Gaius Cylnius Maecenas. And those who are familiar with citizens by the name of "Medici" from the school history course can see with their own eyes the embodiment of their greatness - the fortress of the same name (Fortezza Medicea). The citadel inspires very, very, and still looks like a solid confirmation of the legitimacy of the power of the Duke of Tuscany.

Corso Italia is home to Arezzo's pride, Pieve di Santa Maria, which has the most unusual façade in the city. The galleries located in the semicircular extension are decorated with big amount columns - the higher they are, the closer they are to each other. A very impressive sight, and if you also take into account the fact that inside are the relics of St. Donato, the patron saint of Arezzo, immediately imbued with respect and admiration for the work of medieval architects.

Pieve di Santa Maria. Photo svoiludi.ru

Arezzo also chose Roberto Benigni for location shooting - the tragic plot with a relatively happy ending "Life is beautiful!" unfolded right here. The correctness of this statement becomes clear and applicable to Arezzo at some sacred moment - for example, after rain. A washed, clean and quiet town pacifies and thereby creates a certain message - "everything will be fine." Even the local city cemetery - contrary to its sad purpose - becomes like a concentration of some light sadness collected by previous generations. Located next to the Medici fortress, it is a real necropolis, the "city of the dead." Upon closer inspection, small facades turn out to be cells for burials, where funeral candles burn, and arched walls silently guard the local peace. The cypress trees planted here, rushing up, also make an impression ... Once again you are convinced of the correctness of the expression: appreciate life - look how terrible its absence is.

@visit_arezzo

A unique city simply must have its own unique square. Piazza Grande is exactly what you were looking for, dear lovers of medieval streets, houses, taverns and everything else that accompanied the era of minstrels and knightly tournaments. The square fascinates not with its size or the balanced outline of the lines - on the contrary, with its randomness. First, it is tilted at an angle of 30 degrees. As a result, it is very convenient to hold here, for example, parades or fairs - just look, something with wheels will roll downhill. Secondly - and this is already a purely aesthetic pleasure - once you get on it, you seem to find yourself about seven centuries ago. Colorful coats of arms and houses of various sizes, among which rises a jagged stone tower (all this is also fairly tilted) cause a vague expectation of the equestrian detachment of knights leaving with a full gear. And this is definitely happening. And strictly on the first Sunday of September.

The same area. Photo by @alberto_sodini

"Giostra del Saracino" is a politically incorrect "Saracenic holiday", which is a jousting tournament. They prepare for it for a long time and interestingly, honing various methods of handling edged weapons, namely, with a spear. The purpose of the fun, which has the status of the most important urban entertainment, is as follows. In the far corner of the square, an effigy is installed (movable around its axis), symbolizing an Arab. who holds a shield in his left hand, and in his right - three balls of lead, connected in a kind of mace, hanging on ropes. The challenger put up against the dummy must hit a steel shield with a spear, and then dodge the balls flying in full accordance with the laws of physics. The one who succeeds, receives a prize - the "Golden Spear" and glory with respect. In general, the holiday is very atmospheric and cute: the streets are filled with ladies in medieval costumes, trumpeters, standard-bearers and tourists. If possible, be sure to visit this holiday - there will be something to remember. Oh, and don't forget about the antique fairs that are held here every first Sunday of the month. On them it is quite possible to pick up something curious as a gift or in a home collection.

And one more small but useful note - in addition to the medieval spirit, jewelry craft has been preserved and successfully developed here along the way. Arezzo is very rich - after all, it is the largest in Europe and one of the largest centers in the world for the production of gold and silver products. Here, accordingly, there is an opportunity for tourists to choose for themselves or friends an excellent little thing that will remind them of a visit to this beautiful city.

Arezzo(Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy) is located at the intersection of the four valleys (Valdarno, Valdichiana, Val Tiberina and Cosentino) that make up this province. Precisely due to its geographical location in the heart of Italy, Arezzo is a meeting place for different civilizations and cultures. The city was badly damaged during the Second World War, but many masterpieces are still preserved here.
A visit to Arezzo is interesting for people who are deeply passionate about art. It was here that the “stave” method was invented - a method of recording music “in circles on five rulers”, the great Petrarch was born here and the artist Vasari worked.
If you are somewhat tired of the crowds of tourists and the noise of motorcycles - you are here, in Arezzo.
All guidebooks also mention that the Oscar-winning Italian film "Life is Beautiful" directed by Benigni took place here.

Arezzo - how to get there

By train - from Rome (2 hours), from Florence (1 hour 15 minutes),
By bus - from Cortona (1 hour), from Sienna (1 hour 15 minutes).
By car - the A1 highway runs a few kilometers from the city, you can leave the car at the municipal parking lot at the entrance to the Old Town.
Arezzo is a small town, easy to explore on foot.
The map of Arezzo is presented in the picture on the right.

Attractions Arezzo

You should start your tour of Arezzo in Piazza San Francesco, the highlight of which is the Gothic Church of San Francesco(Chiesa di San Francesco). The church was created in the XIII century and rebuilt in 1318-77. in the forms of Umbrotuscan Gothic. The facade remained unfinished: the bell tower dates back to the 16th century.
In the vast deserted Gothic interior with chapels from the 14th century and the Renaissance, the remains of wall frescoes made in the 14th and 15th centuries stand out. Opposite is a round carved window in the form of a rose - roson - with a beautiful stained glass window by Guillaume de Marsilpat.

One of the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance has been preserved in the choir stalls: a cycle of frescoes based on " Legends of the Holy Cross» (Vera Croce), made by Piero della Francesca in 1453-66. This cycle was inspired by the Golden Legend of Blessed Jacopo da Varagine. After the last restoration, an extraordinary wealth of color and light appeared, which Piero achieved through the use of various techniques, as well as through a deeply and in a new way rethought the concept of space and perspective. The scenes of the frescoes represent the history of the cross on which Christ was crucified.
Above the choirs stretches the Crucifix with the image of San Francesco by the Master of San Francesco (XIII century). Also noteworthy are the Guasconi Chapel with frescoes by Spinello Aretino (c. 1400) and the Tarlati Chapel. Here is the Annunciation, which is attributed to both Luca Signorelli and Bartolomeo della Gatta. Details on the website www.pierodellafrancesca.it

IN abbey church, erected by the Benedictines in the 13th century and expanded in the middle of the 16th century, Vasari (the bell tower was built in 1650), the Crucifix by Segna di Bonaventura and the monumental altar by Giorgio Vasari have been preserved.
On the territory of the former monastery, to the right of the church, there is an elegant kiostr (monastery courtyard) of the 15th century.

On Corso Italia, which has been the main city thoroughfare since time immemorial, are the church of San Michele (XIII century) with a bell tower of the XIV century; the palaces of Palazzo Bacci and Palazzo Altucci: the tower house of the 13th century and the palace of Palazzo Camayani-Albergotti of the 14th century.

Next to the palace rises the so-called tower Torre della Bagazza(1351), which during the time of fascism was used as a "lictor tower" (lictors - a guard and escort service in ancient Italy).

Opposite the tower house stands out one of the most significant examples of the Romanesque style in Tuscany - the parish Church of Santa Maria(Pieve di Santa Maria), the construction of which began in 1140 and continued, with the introduction of Gothic elements, until the first decades of the XIV century. In the 16th century, the church was rebuilt according to the design of Vasari and was completely restored at the end of the 19th century. Its beautiful facade is made in the Romanesque style under the influence of the Pisan-Luccan school (XIII century). The central portal is decorated with the image of the Months, a powerful bell tower (1330) with windows separated by columns is called the tower of "hundred holes". The majestic interior houses the font of Giovanni di Agostino and a polyptych by Pietro Lorenzetti (1320-24)

Piazza Grande, which is also called Piazza Vasari, is one of the most picturesque squares in Italy (interestingly, it has a slope of almost 30 degrees). In June and September there are Knightly Tournaments of the Saracens(Giostra del Saracino, the third Sunday of June and the first Sunday of September - an unusual, colorful and memorable event); every month (on the first Sunday of the month) the famous Antiques Fair is held (http://www.fieraantiquaria.org/).

The attractions of the square are: the Public Fountain (XVI century), the Court Palace and the elegant Palace of the Confraternity of Novices, the lower floor of which was built in gothic style, and the upper one is in the Renaissance style. Worthy of attention is the Palais des Loggias, designed by Vasari in 1537.

On Via Pileati, a continuation of Corso Italia, are the monumental Praetor Palace (XIV-XV centuries) and the alleged Petrarch's house(Casa Petrarca, at the intersection of Via dei Pileati and Via del Orto), which now houses the Petrarch Academy of Literature, Arts and Sciences.

Passing along the boulevard Passegio del Prato with the ruined Fortress of the Medici, you get to Cathedral (Duomo), the construction of which began in the XIII century and was completed at the beginning of the XVI century. Inside the cathedral are the Gothic arch of San Donato, the "Magdalene" fresco by Piero della Francesca and the cenotaph of Bishop Guido Tarlati (1330). The Diocesan Museum houses three wooden Crucifixes (XIII century), the amazing "San Girolamo in the Desert" by Bartolomeo della Gatta , and precious jewelry.
Nearby, in a small secluded square surrounded by trees, stands the church of San Domenico, inside which is placed the grandiose Crucifixion, an early work of Cimabue.

An excellent example of Tuscan mannerism is Vasari's house where Giorgio Vasari lived. This house was created according to his own project (1540-48).

From here, bypassing the church (XI-XII centuries) Santa Maria in Gradi (rebuilt in 1592 by the architect Ammannati). you can get to Museum of Medieval and Modern Art, which is housed in the Renaissance palace of the Palazzo Bruni-Ciocchi piece, as it is called, the Customs Palace (XV century). The palace is located at a monumental crossroads, complemented by palaces from the 14th century and the Renaissance.
The museum was born from the merger of the municipal collections and the collections of the Brotherhood of the Hermits. It offers the most detailed overview of the painting of Arezzo and Tuscany from the 14th to the XLX centuries. Here are works by Giorgio Vasari, Margarito Darezzo, Spinello. Aretino, Luca Signorelli, Bartolomeo della Gatta, Ludovico Carracci. The Madonna della Misericordia by Parri di Spinello is exhibited here. as well as painting from the 17th century (Grechetto, Pietro Benvenuti) to the 19th century, which is represented by the Tachi artists Giovanni Fattori and Telemaco Signorini. In addition, the museum exhibits jewelry, bronze sculptures, majolica (one of the richest collections in Italy), weapons, coins and medals.

On the old street "Via Sacra", which enclosed in a semicircle medieval city, is the church of Santissima Annunziata. This is a Renaissance building with an unfinished facade and an elegant three-arched window (XVI century). Inside is the venerated terracotta sculpture Madonna and Child by Michele da Firenze (c. 1430).

Archaeological Museum of Patrons is located in the former monastery of San Bernardo, partly located on the ruins of a Roman amphitheater (117-138 AD). The collection of the museum is represented by works from private collections of the 18th-19th centuries and objects discovered during recent excavations. In addition to the department of Etruscan and Hellenistic cultures, the museum houses objects found in the lands of Arezzo (Eifronios spiral bowl), Valdikiana (Attic amphora) and Casentino. In the department of Roman culture, the so-called coral vases, or “sealed lands”, Aretine tableware made of ceramics covered with red paint, as well as the Attic Cup of Duris, glassware and jewelry (a male portrait made in the technique of cryography - painted with gold ink) deserve attention. on parchment), numismatics, Etruscan and Roman bronzes. The museum has departments dedicated to prehistory and paleontology.

Outside the city, on the site of the ancient "Fons Tect" stands the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, built in 1435-44. In front of the austere Gothic church is an elegant vaulted portico designed by the architect Benedetto da Maiano. Inside is a marble central altar and glazed terracotta by Andrea della Robbia, which contains frescoes by Parri di Spinello.
Behind Alpi di Poti is 18.5 km to the east the Abbey of Sai Veriano, a Romanesque church from the 11th century.

Arezzo - a bit of history

The Arretium, about which there is information dating back to the 4th century BC, was perhaps one of the 12 powerful Etruscan lucomonies. It became a Roman military center and established itself under Emperor Augustus. In the 1st century BC. here the production of “sealed land” (“ter-ra sijillata”) develops, which falls into decay along with the city at the beginning of the 2nd century.
The economic and urban revival begins in the 12th century during the period of communal administration, a university was founded here. In 1289, after the defeat of Campaldino, which Dante mentions, the city falls under the influence of Florence. which is sold for the first time in 1337, and then, finally, in 1384. During this period, the decline of the city begins, which damages artistic and cultural independence.
A new impetus to development arises during the period of Italian Unification and, above all, after the construction railway Florence - Rome (1862-66).

Stones of Arezzo
from stones made by centuries,
that keep the echoes of speeches,
the screams of victims with their necks bared...
and the repentance of their executioners...
from the stones on a quiet, impassive night,
from their trembling in the squares,
idle reality freezes,
vanity turns to dust...

this city, conceived by the antique,
greedily drinks from the flow of currencies ...
fat birds peck at trifles,
that can't fit into the pasted
poster comfort at the gate ...
discern behind a smiling face
mannequins ringing showcases,
yours, Arezzo, forgotten with haste
for the aging of sweet wines,

for fermenting flirting and singing
on your paved squares,
faint voice of innocent decay,
the ashes of the slain prisoner ...
Author — Elena Serebrovskaya-Migliori

In the last part of the story about Arezzo, my hands (and feet during the walk) finally reached the main attraction that distinguishes it from all other Tuscan cities. I'm referring, of course, to Piazza Grande, a piazza so steeply sloping that it looks as level and flat as an LG Flatron TV screen.

Arezzo sightseeing map, the walking route from the last part of the report is marked with a green line.

But not all at once, we will follow the sequence. First, from I went down back to the central streets of Arezzo. On the way I came across a herd of mysterious animals. Sheep?

Even abstracting from the sights, Arezzo is an extremely pleasant place to walk. The streets here are what I need for my exacting taste.

Monument to Ferdinand III Grand Duke of Tuscany. Ruled by Tuscany in the late 18th early 19th centuries, a descendant of the Medici.

A feature of Arezzo is the commemorative plaques on buildings with bas-reliefs of people who glorified this place. Never seen anything like it in Italy.

Indispensable for any city in Italy, the office of the communists, in Arezzo they are located in the very center of the city.

The well is not easy, but a literary attraction. This is the one Tofano well from the Decameron. One night, a rich townsman, Tofano, locks himself away from his wife, who at night goes on dates with her lover to this well. No matter how much she begs him, he refuses to let her in. Then she pretends to throw herself into the well, but in fact she throws a huge stone into it. Tofano runs out of the house and rushes to the well, and meanwhile the wife enters the house, locks herself from her husband and shames him on the whole street. The people gather at the well and begin to resent the behavior of the "alcoholic" Tofano, who drunkenly hangs around at night and even slanders his wife. As a result, the whole world beats the face of a loser husband.

Boccaccio ends the story with such a moral: "A fool puts up - only more shameful. Long live love, but don't give a damn about money!"

We go out to main street Arezzo Corso Italia, which descends from Prato Park down towards the railway station.

The first building on this street Palazzo Pretorio. Since the 13th century, the residence of the commander of the local city militia has been located here. The walls of the palace are decorated with the coats of arms of all the captains and commissioners of Arezzo from the 14th to the 18th century. All the coats of arms (yes, the building itself) look suspiciously fresh, I suspect that Mussolini's restorers had a hand in it.

We turn off Corso Italia along the covered gallery and...

We find ourselves on Piazza Grande. And, here it remains only to be silent and admire this strange, but still beautiful place. Here, tell me, how did the townspeople arrange parades with such a bias, for example? Or, how to properly place tents for the fair here? Marvelous!

Around the square are numerous shops of antique dealers.

A year ago, before my trip, all the buildings of Piazza Grande were picturesquely decorated with numerous shields with coats of arms. But now they, unfortunately, have been removed, I don’t know forever or temporarily.

As I have already said, this Sunday all over Arezzo the people held small celebrations for themselves.

And this is perhaps the most canonical view of Piazza Grande. On the left is the church with the long name of Santa Maria della Pieve, a little later we will drop into it. Its 13th-century Romanesque apse overlooks the square. It came out a bit small, but still it is clear that one of the columns of the apse has a bend in the form of a "knee". For what? Farther away, against the backdrop of an ancient church, is an almost "modern" 17th-century baroque courthouse. Please note that the architect had to invent the original semi-circular staircase in order to overcome the slope of the square. And finally, on the right rises gothic building The Laic brotherhoods (Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici), members of the brotherhood played a significant role in the life of Arezzo. Three architectural style In one place!

Of course, Roberto Benigni could not help shooting Piazza Grande in his film. As with other filming locations in Arezzo, the location is marked with a sign with footage from " Life is Beautiful".

Of course, there are much fewer tourists than in, but Arezzo cannot be called a completely unpopular place.

Antique shops bring their share of color to the surroundings of the square.

Departing from the square are the typical streets of Arezzo that I liked so much with steep climbs.

Vasari, who, as you remember from, is a native of Arezzo, also had a hand in decorating the square. Long building with galleries Loggia Vasari- his handiwork.

We take another look at the fantastic square and move on to the next attraction.

If before that all the churches of Arezzo, including the cathedral, did not impress me too much with their appearance, That Church of Santa Maria della Pieve(Uspenskaya in Russian), rehabilitated Arezzo in this regard. It's very cool, I think! Alas, alas, it is impossible to photograph its stunning facade in its entirety.

All columns are different.

Before entering the church, we lift our heads to look at the Romanesque figurines of the calendar. You can try to guess where, what month is depicted, the main thing is not to block the passage to the church for other tourists or parishioners.

Ascension of the Virgin.

The crypt contains the relics of St. Donata. "How is it, they're in the same sort of as are?" - the attentive reader will ask. That's right, and in the cathedral too. Just in time, St. Donata was divided, and the head went to Santa Maria della Pieve. From the wiki article, I understood that in the Middle Ages there was a conflict in Arezzo between the bishop and the townspeople, and this church was the stronghold of this struggle. Probably, the local burghers were very happy when they got such an important trophy in the war with their bishop.

Of the ancient murals of the church, little has survived. One example is Saints Francis and Dominic.

Well, it remains only to walk back from the center to the station along Corso Italia.

Chiesa dei Santi Michele e Adriano.

In terms of the picturesqueness of its streets, Arezzo may well compete with.

Chiesa di Sant'Agostino.

I explored the main beauties of Arezzo, and here at Sant Agostino I asked myself the difficult question, have lunch, then go around all the churches in the eastern part of Arezzo and calmly return to Florence or ... or make a small adventure with a trip to another region of Italy. But more on that in the next story.

I invite you to read my other stories about traveling in Italy.

Trip to Italy for May holidays 2015:
1.
2.
3.
4.

How to get to Arezzo

Arezzo is the perfect place to immerse yourself in history. Cobbled streets, cozy squares, architectural monuments, labyrinths of roads - all this makes the city surprisingly interesting. You can walk here all day and never repeat yourself on the route. Arezzo really hides in itself the most valuable objects stories. Once the city was considered Etruscan, but later it was conquered by the Roman Empire, and today this Italian town, located in the expanses of Tuscany, is extremely rich in historical monuments from different eras.

The most convenient way to get to Arezzo is from Florence, which is only 82 km away. Railway communication has been established between the cities. Direct trains will take you to Arezzo in 1.5 hours and for 8-14 euros one way. Trains depart from Florence Santa Maria Novella Station twice an hour throughout the day. You can check the schedule at the railway service .

If you are traveling on your own by car, then you should choose the route for movement No. A1 / E35, it is the fastest. Travel time will be approximately 1 hour 10 minutes. By the way, you can rent a car in Florence for travel in advance, for this there are special services for comparing rental offers. rentalcars, and other similar. Car rental offices in Florence are open at the airport of arrival, as well as in the city center on Via di Santa Lucia and Via Forlanini.

If you wish, you can get to Arezzo from any other big city in Italy. So, trains run between Pisa and Arezzo (a change is required in Florence), travel time is 2 hours 10 minutes; between Rome and Arezzo trains run (direct), travel time - 2.5 hours; trains run between Lucca and Arezzo (a change is required in Florence), travel time is 2.5 hours. You can check the schedule at the railway service . Also, these cities are connected highways: Pisa - Arezzo No. SGC Firenze-Pisa-Livorno and A1 / E35; Rome - Arezzo No. A1 / E35; Lucca - Arezzo No. A11 / E76 and A1 / E35.

Thomas/Arezzo

Arezzo Hotels

Arezzo is quite a popular city among tourists. People come here for rich excursion program, and for outdoor recreation in the vicinity of the town. For vacationers, Arezzo offers apartments, bed and breakfasts, standard hotels, holiday homes, guest houses, country houses and villas as accommodation options. If you travel by car, you can combine business with pleasure and stay outside the city, in the scenery of beautiful Tuscan nature. If you have come to Arezzo for public transport and only for 1 sightseeing day, then it is more logical to stay closer to the historical center with its many sights.

A good location relative to the city center can boast of such hotels as Graziella Patio Hotel 4* , B&B via Roma 25 , B&B Il Piccolo Cavour , La Corte del Re , La Terrazza. All of them are located within 500 meters of the historic center of Arezzo and are ideal for a stopover of one or more days. These hotels have received the highest ratings from guests who have already visited Arezzo.

For those who decide to stay in the vicinity of Arezzo, closer to nature, there are also many options. For example, in a villa Ghiandai you can rent excellent apartments and enjoy not only the nature around, but also the outdoor seasonal pool, garden, terrace. WiFi and parking are free. The city center is only 5 km away. at the villa D'Epoca Carniani apartments are also available for rent. The place is suitable for privacy, because. surrounded by a large park. Free private parking and Wi-Fi are provided.

You can check the prices for all possible accommodation options in Arezzo on specialized search engines Booking, Hotellook and others that allow you to compare all existing offers for the required dates.

Attractions Arezzo

Arriving in Arezzo, you need to be prepared for the fact that you will plunge headlong into the ancient and medieval architecture of Italy. It is like traveling back in time, since there are almost no modern buildings in Arezzo. So, for example, in the city you can see a real amphitheater which was built in the first century AD. The amphitheater was partially preserved and in its place later, in the 16th century, a monastery was built.

Attractive and semicircular Piazza Guido of Monaco built in the 18th century. All the main roads of Arezzo intersect in the square, and in the center there is a monument to the same Guido Monaco, who created the musical notation and the tetragram. In general, Arezzo is extremely rich in famous natives. Yes, here you can find house of the poet Petrarch. Now the Academy of Letters, Arts and Sciences of Petrarch functions in the poet's house.

Want to see Arezzo from a bird's eye view? Then go to Medici fortresses, which was erected here in the 16th century. It is located on a hill, and therefore it is considered the best place to view the city from above. Around the fortress was created a beautiful landscape park"Prato", which is also a nice place to spend time.

As for the palaces, or the so-called palazzos, there are also a lot of them in Arezzo. Definitely worth a look Palazzo dei Priori, built in the 14th century; Palazzo Pretorio, erected at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries; magnificent renaissance Palazzo Fraternita dei Laichi, created by Bernardo Rosselino in the 15th century. Among the religious buildings it is impossible to stay away from the main Cathedral. It is also located near the Medici fortress and Prato park. The place was not chosen by chance. Despite the fact that the cathedral began to be built in the 13th century, its location is still visible from all points of the city. Inside the cathedral is no less amazing than the outside.

When walking around Arezzo, don't miss Church of Santa Domingo with a Romanesque portal (built in the 13th century), Basilica of San Francesco, where the work "The Legend of the True Cross" by the artist Pierro della Francesca is kept, Abbey of Saints Flora and Lucilla, built by Benedictine monks in the 14th century, Church of Santa Maria 12th century buildings, Church of Santa Maria della Grazia 15th century construction and other facilities. Also in Arezzo there are several notable museums. From the artistic museum of medieval and modern art, Vasari's house(chief architect of the city), house-museum of Ivan Bruska. Also curious local Archaeological Museum And Chapel Bacci.

When relaxing in Arezzo, be sure to visit the neighboring Pisa and Lucca. These three cities make up the "golden triangle" of history, science and architecture in Tuscany, and their sights are known throughout the world. Each of the cities can be visited with a day trip, enough to see the main monuments. In addition, Pisa, Lucca, and Arezzo are located in the picturesque Tuscan countryside, which makes such trips not only educational, but also very colorful and memorable.

Arezzo is an amazing city!
It penetrates the soul immediately
and does not want to give up the place of his beloved city to anyone ...
It would seem - narrow streets, lovely squares,
peace and quiet - what is surprising? And here!
No wonder Tuscan landscapes and time-breathing palazzos
beat all rivals at the Oscars
Life is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni
filmed in Arezzo...

I confess that it is incredibly difficult to describe Italian cities - the density of beauty and cultural values ​​per square meter is so high, and the region is immensely rich in history. But how to describe what you cannot express in words - an amazing feeling of peace and serenity that captures you when you walk along these streets? So I don't know...

The town on the hills is unusually picturesque, the sun hid behind the clouds, the famous Tuscan clouds, transparent with a lilac tint. Saturday, spoons and plates clink in the open windows of houses - a traditional Italian family dinner. Quietly, only doves tease: "on-tash-ka, on-tash-ka." Occasionally a motorcycle rumbles. There are no tourists. The streets climb up at an unthinkable angle, old people stand at the doors of taverns. Again the dishes rattle and smell appetizing. The views are stunningly good ... All this is called Arezzo.

Story

"Beautiful place!" - the primitive man must have exclaimed, appreciating the beauty of the local landscapes and the fertile land, and immediately founded a camp here. Later, the Etruscans created a city here, which by the 4th century. BC. was part of the federation of 12 Etruscan cities, and was one of the main cities in the Apennines - "the capital of the Etruscans" called Arezzo Titus Livius. Now from ancient Etruscan city the remains of the fortress wall, the ruins of the necropolis on Poggio del Sol, as well as the bronze sculptures of the Chimera of Arezzo and Minerva, which were found in the 16th century and immediately taken to the Florentine Archaeological Museum, have been preserved. True, a copy of the Chimera welcomes tourists who arrived in Arezzo by train, and a copy of Minerva stands on one of the city streets.

Under the Romans, who captured it in 311 BC, the city of Arretium grew greatly: new walls, baths, a theater, an amphitheater were built; Arezzo became the third largest Roman city. In the 5th century, the city fell under the rule of the Lombards, then the Franks, after the collapse of the Frankish state, it was revived again. To a large extent, this was facilitated by the canonization of the Bishop of Aretina Donato, who was martyred in 304 and became the patron saint of the city under the name of San Donato. In the XI century. Arezzo turned into a virtually independent city-state under the rule of a bishop and a commune, in 1255 a university was founded in Arezzo - one of the first in Italy and Europe in general, in the XII-XIV centuries. here they built the same city that we saw ...

Aretina Republic in 1350

The long reign of the Ghibellines in Arezzo ended with their crushing defeat in the battle with the Guelphs at Campaldino (1289), significant territories were ceded to Florence and Siena, and soon the city lost its independence, fell under the rule of Florence and was included in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. True, the townspeople were rebellious people and often raised uprisings: “In July 1502 - the year to which this story refers - Arezzo, a city subject to Florence, revolted and declared itself independent. Vitellozzo Vitelli, the most capable of the captains of El Valentino, the mortal enemy of the Florentines who executed his brother, and Baglioni, ruler of Perugia, defended the rebels and defeated the Florentine garrison. His remnants took refuge in the citadel. In a panic, the Signoria sent Piero Soderini, acting President of the Republic, to Milan to hasten the dispatch of the four hundred cavalrymen promised by King Louis. The order was given to the troops of the Signoria to march in Arezzo, long time besieging Pisa, but the citadel fell shortly before their arrival. Somerset Maugham "Then and Now"

Starting from the 17th century. Arezzo finally became provincial town, which flashed from time to time in European history- then it was occupied by Napoleonic troops, then in 1860 it became part of the united Italy. For the heroism shown by the inhabitants of Arezzo in the resistance movement, in 1984 the city was awarded a gold medal. Today, the main branch of Arezzo's economy is the production of jewelry. Here is the most big factory in the world for the production of gold products.

In terms of the number of great people born in these Tuscan lands, Arezzo is second only to Florence. First of all, it is worth mentioning the legendary Maecenas (Gaius Cylnius (70-8 BC)), the sponsor of the ancient poets Virgil and Horace, whose name has become a household name in all languages ​​of the world.

Also born here:
* Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374), humanist and writer, who not only wrote poetry, but also actively engaged in scientific activities. Connoisseur ancient culture, Petrarch devoted his whole life to deciphering ancient manuscripts.
* Guido d "Arezzo / Guido Monaco (997-1050), a reforming musician who created a system of musical notation and came up with the names of notes that have come down to our time.
*Giorgio Vasari (1512-1574), court painter and architect of the Medici family. He owns the authorship of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Piazza Dei Cavalieri in Pisa, the design of Piazza Grande in Arezzo ... But his greatest merit to posterity lies in his book "Le Vite de" piu eccelenti Pittori, Scultori e Architetti "(Lives of the most famous painters , sculptors and architects), which was completed in 1550, and the second supplemented edition with portraits of famous artists was published in 1568. This work contains so much precious information for our time that, if it did not exist, then in history Italian art would be a big gap.
*Italian fresco masters Spinello Aretino, Pietro Aretino, and the magnificent Piero della Francesca, whose incredible frescoes are Arezzo's contribution to Renaissance art.

City walks

The old city of Arezzo, like a precious pearl, hides completely in the "shell" - the city walls, which are mostly preserved. As usual, we begin the conquest of the city with a roundabout maneuver from the right flank, and our strategic calculation is correct - the tourist office house is just to the right, a few steps from the station. And across the road, right in the fountain, we are met by the famous Chimera of Arezzo - a fabulous monster with two heads, preserved from Etruscan times (of course, a copy).

Along a small boulevard from it, we reach the Bastioni di S. Spirito, pass through this symbolic gate, and a few minutes later we are standing in front of the S. Bernardo monastery, which was built on the ruins of a Roman amphitheater (the arched loggia of the monastery even repeats the elliptical shape of the ancient arena).

Romano amphitheater

The Roman amphitheater was erected in Arezzo in the 1st-2nd centuries. AD and is designed for 8-10 thousand spectators. The size of this arena testifies to the importance of the city in the Roman Empire. Here, battles were held not only between gladiators and animals, but also entire "sea" battles were played out. The monastery was built here in 1647, and in 1937 the Archaeological Museum was opened in the building of the monastery, naming it after Gaius Cylnius Maecenas, the first adviser to Emperor Augustus - his bust meets you at the entrance to the museum. The entrance is located on the side of the church of St. Bernardo, dating from the 14th century, destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt after the war. The museum stores Etruscan mirrors, figurines, coins, vases, mosaic fragments, funerary urns… Not for everyone.

Sant Agostino

Along Via Margaritone, we come to S.Agostino Square, crowded with cars, above which rises the church of Sant Agostino (1257) of an extremely ascetic appearance, it is slightly enlivened only by a campanile with a peaked roof (XV century).

Inside, on the contrary, there is a beautiful decoration in the Rococo style. To the north of this church are 4 other beautiful churches: San Gimignano, San Maddalena, San Michele and San Niccolò.

San Gimignano

The church of San Gimignano, which we visited first, was built in the 8th century, and was thoroughly rebuilt during the Medici period and in 1804. Inside, the multicolored marble altar adorned with pearls and colorful murals by the Neapolitan master Tommazo Fasano and local native Sebastiano Pontenani are worth a look. Opposite are two impregnable, stocky residential towers, in the loophole windows of which white curtains look somewhat ridiculous, and on the upper level of one of them there is even a small balcony with wicker chairs and flower pots.

The streets of Arezzo are unique! Detached houses have stone “barrels” and light facades, courtyards are protected from prying eyes by two-meter-high solid stone walls, houses on the streets are crowded together, forming picturesque streets, the authenticity of which is somewhat disturbed by cars and motorcycles parked next to the houses. And above all this, the smell of pastries and olive oil hovers, dissolving in transparent Tuscan clouds...

Rushing east, we stomped to the gates of Porta Trento e Trieste and turned back again. Perhaps, from the point of view of logic, our route may seem somewhat confused, but it is in a certain disorder of wandering through the streets that there is the charm of walking through Italian cities ... We climb higher and higher along street after street, those houses and churches that we admired half an hour ago, remained far below. The old men at the doors of the trattorias pensively follow us with their eyes: wow, tourists ...

Santa Croce

A little further from the city wall stands the amazing Santa Croce church, which seems to have an octagon built into it. It dates back to the 12th century, but has not survived to this day - in 1944 it was destroyed by direct bombing. Only this very octahedron remained, the shape of which is not accidental - the church was built on the site of a pagan temple of the 2nd century BC. BC, which had the same shape. The ancient temple existed until the 6th century (Christianity had already gained strength, but the popes had not yet told the kings and rulers of cities what to do). Inside the church is simple, small, the altar, entirely made of gray stone, is of interest. Standing inside the ancient walls, it is very easy to imagine how sacrifices were made on the altar in Roman times…

San Lorenzo and Sant Agnes

Entering back into the city limits, we walked along a strange street: lush flowers were planted along the remains of the wall, there were fragments of columns and a statue resembling Athena (Minerva).

The street leads to Piazza Alberti, where on one side stands the church of San Lorenzo, and on the other, a 14th-century palazzo with an asymmetrical facade, breathing antiquity. It's amazing how many ancient palaces have been preserved in the city! The palazzo crowds the palazzo, according to my estimate, 3/4 of the houses in the old city are palazzo. Well, how many nobles were in the city!

At first I diligently photographed each facade and a sign with information hanging on it (so as not to forget what it was called), then I photographed only the most (in my opinion) important ones, like the house of Petrarch or Vasari, and then we just gave up on all this splendor, and admired it thoughtlessly, walking through the streets in the rain ...

But now we are still standing in front of the church of San Lorenzo, which is famous for the fact that in 1541 a bronze statue of the goddess Minerva (as Greek Athena was called in Roman mythology) was found under it - a masterpiece of Etruscan sculpture of the 3rd century BC. BC, the original is now kept in Archaeological Museum Florence, and a copy stands along the wall where we have just passed. In the 16th century, the church was the temple of the guild of millers and bakers, and in 1631 they chipped in together and paid Bernardino Santini, who decorated the church with frescoes that have survived to this day.

A little further up the street, on a hill, to which the stairs lead, stands the church of Sant Agnese, surrounded by cypress trees directed upwards and decorated on the outside only with a stained-glass window and a gilded mosaic portal in the best Byzantine tradition, depicting St. Agnes and two angels. From the ancient church, rebuilt in 1200, only huge foundation stones have survived. The murals inside were made in the 17th century by Bernardino Santini and Domenico Ermini.

San Niccolo and around

We go deeper into the city, guided by a high tower with a jagged edge. The churches of San Bartolomeo and San Niccolò stand in a small square surrounded by ancient palazzos.

The square is mysterious and unexpected: an old house or even a tower is hidden behind every turn, here and there on the walls of the 15th century. standing flower pots,

the palazzo is decorated with endless rows of ropes with linen, a passage to the next street is found in a seemingly dead corner, and the facade of the church, which seemed small and rooted into the ground, on the next street turns into tall church walls. This is San Niccolo, built in 1000. In 1263, two bells by master Giovanni da Pisa were cast here. The church has been well preserved due to the fact that the church was first under the patronage of the Camaldoli monastery, then under the patronage of the Jiratachi family, then under the patronage of the local bishop.

Santa Maria Maddalena and San Michele

The nearby Santa Maria Maddalena has an image of the Madonna giving a rose to the Christ child. The fresco was so revered by the people of Arezzo that when the old Cathedral, where it was kept, a piece of the wall, along with the fresco, was carefully broken out and solemnly brought into the city to the church dedicated to the Madonna.

closer to main street Corso Italia in a small cozy square stands the Church of San Michele - both strict and elegant at the same time. Simple masonry gives austerity, elegance - carving that adorns the top and the entrance portal. The church dedicated to St. Michael, revered by the Lombards, who is depicted on the mosaic portal, was built in the 7th-8th centuries, and rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 13th century.

Suddenly we hear a noise and we go out onto a busy street - that's where all the tourists were hiding! In the distance, like the mast of a sailboat, we can see the campanile of the Pieve di Santa Maria church, and we are heading for it past the shores formed by the palazzo of noble Guelph families.

Piazza Grande and around

We have probably never seen such an unusual church as Santa Maria della Pieve! The facade from the side of the street is framed by several galleries, decorated with many different columns, the higher, the closer they are to each other. There are 12 columns on the first tier, 24 on the second, and 32 on the third. The church was built in the 12th-13th centuries. on the foundations of an ancient Roman pagan temple, and some of the columns are clearly of the same origin. The Romanesque bell tower was completed in 1330. The church is remarkably reminiscent of the architectural masterpieces of Lucca or Pisa - probably the master, whose name has not been preserved, was from those places. But the author of the relief on the portal left his autograph - "Marchio, 1216" - carved forever. Inside the church, the relics of St. Donato, the patron saint of the city, are kept; you can look at the altar created by Vasari in 1564 for the chapel where members of his family are buried; on a marble font and paintings.

Opposite the church on Corso Italia stands a palazzo richly decorated with coats of arms throughout the facade, this Palazzo Pretorio, residence of the captain of the city militia until 1290. The coats of arms belong to the captains, podestas and military commissars of the city from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Two authentic towers have been preserved in the courtyard. On the contrary, in the depths of the square you can see the remains of another residence of the captains, destroyed when the city passed under the hand of the Medici. Closer to the church is the 14th century Palazzo Camaiani-Albergotti with the Torre della Bigazza tower.

And finally, we came to Piazza Grande. What can I say? This is the most unrealistic and beautiful square I have ever seen! Moreover, it attracts not with some special majesty or harmony, but precisely with its disorderliness, bright coats of arms, which are hung in houses of different heights (the cutest ones are only two windows wide) and jagged towers surrounding the square, with a charming inclination and unique authenticity. And somehow imperceptibly in the memory Arezzo displaces all the Tuscan cities seen .... It is incomprehensible to the mind how it was possible to make the main square in the city, which is tilted at an angle of 30 degrees? How, for example, were any solemn processions or knightly tournaments held here? But monthly antique fairs still manage to be held here. So I can imagine how boards are slipped under some old chest of drawers or a piano - so that it does not roll away briskly to the other end of the square.

Weddings in a medieval setting are especially tender. In the center of the square, the bride in a beautiful ivory dress with a long train and the groom in a top hat and long frock coat pose at the column, then against the backdrop of the square. They are watched by all the tourists who were at that moment on the square. Probably, the photos of these same newlyweds ended up in several dozen countries!

In addition to the church of Pieve di Santa Maria, the square faces the facades of many palaces, all of the XIV-XVI centuries, with and without towers, including the Palazzo dei Priori, the city magistrate, built in 1333, with interior decoration - frescoes, busts of famous Aretinians, a stone statue of the Madonna and Child and two paintings by Vasari. Located nearby episcopal palace XIII century, decorated inside with frescoes by local masters, and on the facade with the image of the Grand Duke Ferdinando I de Medici.

And finally, the Loggia Vasari with a spacious arched gallery, where there are countless cafe tables.

The construction of this palace was quite symbolic: the Medicis just finally took over Arezzo and in order to show who was the boss in the house, a number of medieval buildings were destroyed, including the ancient episcopal cathedral and the palace of the commune, and in their place the Medici court architect, Giorgio Vasari, erected a new palace. On the wall of the loggia hangs a sculptural portrait of the master. Interestingly, in the homeland of Tsereteli are his works?

Casa Petrarca

A short walk up from Piazza Grande is Casa Petrarca, the birthplace of the great poet. In general, all the houses where the Aretinians were born, which Arezzo is proud of, are marked with special “memorial” plaques - with images of bronze faces.

Opposite is the octagonal Tofano well, mentioned in Boccaccio's Decameron. The legend says that once lived in the city a wealthy citizen Tofano, whose young wife took a lover, whom she met in the evenings. The husband, having found out about this, decided to disgrace the unfaithful, and closed the door when his wife was on a date. Realizing that she was trapped, the insidious traitor immediately found a way out of the situation - grabbing a large stone, she threw it into the well. The husband, who was guarding under the door, heard a splash and decided that the wife, in order to avoid shame, drowned herself, he recklessly opened the front door and ran to the well, and the wife quickly ran into the house, in turn promptly locking the door. The smart lady immediately turned the situation against the unlucky husband, accusing him of being home drunk every evening. Needless to say, the neighbors who woke up from the noise took the side of their wife? Yes, if the men of Arezzo would have been so resourceful, the city would probably never have fallen under the rule of the Medici ...

Cathedral of San Donato

In the north of the city, high on a hillside, a cathedral appears in front of the traveler, built in the Gothic style in the 13th-16th centuries. The facade of the cathedral has not yet been completed. The interior contains frescoes by Piero della Francesca, stained-glass windows and the Gothic tomb of Bishop Guido Tarlati (Pope Gregory X) also deserve attention.

Opposite stands Palazzo Communale with tower and clock,

and behind the cathedral there is a small cozy park with a monument to Petrarch,

from where you can clearly see the surroundings of the city, vineyards and fields. From the park we go to

Fortezza Medicea

Even before the city was taken over by the Medici, there were three fortresses in it, and once built here, on the hill of San Donato, was the most important, because. defended the cathedral, the palazzo communal and other palaces of noble Ghibelline guys. The fortezza that we saw was built by the order of the new owner of the city, the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo Medici, by the architect Antonio da Sangallo the Elder in 1560. It stood safely until the Napoleonic wars, as a result of which hot French guys pretty much destroyed it, and, probably, the citizens would have dismantled it for building materials, if not for patrons from the Fossombroni family, who bought it from the magistrate and preserved it for posterity. Positively, the land of Arezzo is rich in patrons. It is thanks to these wonderful people that the citadel even now looks like a formidable stronghold of the power of the great Tuscan duke…

When we, having admired the weddings, of which there were many in the park, approached the fortress, rain clouds jumped out from behind the hills, and we quickly dived into the arch with the coat of arms at the entrance. Cold corridors, dark passages, and here we are at the top, from where the city is visible at a glance.

A couple of kids and a tourist like us are wandering around the fortress. In a leisurely conversation about the film “Life is Beautiful”, which at that time I did not watch, we went around almost the entire wall, admiring the views, when suddenly something frightening and attractive at the same time appeared before our eyes ... Here's a cinematic pause for you to tense up in anticipation - what's next - and I will cynically start talking about the film .... No, I'm not so harmful. I just didn't understand what it was at first, but, having understood, I just froze. At the very walls of the citadel there was a city cemetery, and the fact that this is a cemetery, you understand later, but at first it seems that this is a bizarre town - some kind of ziggurat in the center, arched walls, and panel houses, which, upon closer examination, turned out to be burial cells ... and candles are burning in each cell, many, many candles ... All this comes into such a striking contrast with the Tuscan hills that it makes you shudder. The sadness of the cemetery is also given by cypress trees, planted around with mourning candles ...

San Domenico

Under heavy rain (of course, we left the umbrella in the hotel in the morning, judging that the sky is so clear that there can be no rain - and there was none - in Florence), sneaking under the porticos and awnings of the palazzo, we went to the church of San Sebastiano (San Sebastiano), where another travel agency is arranged right in the church,

and from there, already frankly splashing through the puddles, they stomped to the Basilica of San Domenico on one of neighboring streets. Outside, in the rain, it looked strange: as if a child, playing, had broken off a piece of the top from the church and the bell tower. On the square in front of the basilica, the chairs are lonely getting wet and the wind rips off the poster - there was a concert recently.

In the morning there was a wedding - there was no soul in the church, but on the floor there was a half-rolled carpet path strewn with rice and flower petals, the altar was decorated with white roses, and bouquets of roses and strong-smelling lilies lay on the backs of the pews. Playful little hands you know who reached out to the bouquet - immediately squeeze the bourgeois bouquet, but no such luck! Bouquets are firmly tied (as if nailed) to the backs, I had to sit on a bench and take pictures hugging a bouquet :)

The basilica was built from 1275 and was completed only at the beginning of the 14th century. San Domenico was favored by noble families and personally Bishop Tarlati of Aretina, so many famous masters of that time applied their skills to the church. In his book Lives of the Most Famous Painters, Sculptors and Architects, Vasari claims that the project belonged to the great Nicola Pisano. The interior of the church is quite simple: the nave is a rectangle, the arches of the chapels are decorated with white and green marble, like the Baptistery of Florence. The wooden ceiling is so similar to that of the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence (she will be the first to meet you if you come by train) that it supports the theory that both churches were finished by master monks from Florence, Brother Sisto and Brother Ristoro. The pearl of the interior is the crucifix by Cimabue - 1265-1270.

On the walls are the remains of frescoes by Spinello Aretino and Parri di Spinello. Behind the altar are antique stained-glass windows. Among the sculptures, it is worth seeing the 14th-century Madonna and the statue of St. Peter on the right wall of the school della Robia (a carved wooden "visor" was erected above it). It is a pity that for many centuries the church was forgotten and abandoned, and when a large-scale restoration was carried out in the 19th century, many frescoes could not be saved ...

Casa Vasari

House number 55 on Via XX Settembre (September 20) is known for the fact that in 1547 the then young architect and artist Giorgio Vasari bought the old palazzo, rebuilt it, painted it with frescoes and lived in it until 1574. The court architect of Duke Cosimo de Medici became known not only for his buildings, squares, frescoes and sculptures in many cities of Italy (Florence, Rome, Naples, Venice, Pisa, Bologna, Rimini and Perugia), but also for the fundamental work "Le Vite de" piu eccelenti Pittori, Scultori e Architetti "(Lives of the most famous painters, sculptors and architects). Now the house has a museum with archives of the 16th century, which at one time helped Vasari write his book.

Santa Maria in Gradi

On a small square, where an utterly authentic residential medieval tower, stands the church of Santa Maria in Gradi, built in the 11th-12th centuries, and rebuilt in the Baroque style by Bartolomeo Ammannati in the 16th century. Here, too, there was a wedding in the morning - the bouquets were also nailed, and the front pews were covered with embroidered bedspreads. The interior is decorated with bright frescoes, an altar with huge snow-white candles, and a terracotta relief of the Madonna by Andrea della Robia - its arches with lemons and leaves cannot be confused with anything.

By that time, the rain had stopped, the wind had blown from the mountains, and the temperature had dropped to 23-24 degrees. Probably, for the famous Tuscan vineyards, this weather is the most it, but I froze. Slapping my flip flops through the puddles, I was about to walk on barefoot, when suddenly we saw a small pizzeria. Hooray! Sitting on high stools on the threshold of the restaurant, dangling our legs and looking at the small street in the rain, we ate pizza. The body, having received its portion of carbohydrates, worked hard, warmed up and we crawled out to explore the city further. Having appreciated the churches of S. Benedetto, S. Lorentino, S.S. Annunziata, S. Guiseppino, S.S. Trinita Misericordia and S. Ignazio, we went to another square, where we were met

Badia delle SS. Flora and Lucilla

Founded and built in the 12th century by Benedictine monks, the church was rebuilt in the 16th century. led by Vasari. From the outside, the church looks strange: the strict Romanesque facade is in dissonance with the baroque octagonal bell tower (1650) and the dome, the entrance is shifted to the left and asymmetrical - as if the central entrance arch was greatly expanded on one side, and the builders forgot about the other side. Moreover, some extension on the left is clearly non-church purpose. Inside, the church is decorated in the style of Mannerism: the dome inside is painted by Andrea Pozzo, so much so that it seems like it is real (in Rome there is also a church with such a painting - San Ignacio). In addition to this brilliant hoax, look at the crucifix by Segna di Buonaventura (Segna di Buonaventura, 1319) and the fresco depicting St. Lawrence Bartolomeo della Gatta (Bartolomeo della Gatta, 1476).

San Francesco

The Basilica of San Francesco was built in the XIII-XIV centuries. in the Tuscan Gothic style. The facade of a gloomy kind of severe stone is decorated only with a large round window above the entrance. Inside, part of the space is available for a fee, part of the church is under restoration and you can walk there freely, but I think when it is restored, they will let you inside for 4-5 euros, no less - the frescoes that peek out from behind the forests are amazing .

The main value of the church is the Bacci Chapel with unique frescoes by Piero della Francesca. In 1453, the master received an order for frescoes and created what was recognized as his most famous work. The plot of the frescoes is the story of finding the life-giving tree of the Cross, on which Christ was crucified. “Two prophets are depicted on the back wall. The lunette of the right wall depicts the death of Adam, over whose grave a holy tree grows. Further - the Queen of Sheba, who came to Solomon, worships the Tree from which the threshold is made, seeing in it the image of the future Cross. The next episode is the vision of the Cross to Constantine and his victory over Maxentius. In the second tier of the left and rear wall, Empress Helen finds the Cross: she is shown the place where the crosses on which Christ and two robbers were executed are buried, and she miraculously learns on which of the three crosses Christ was crucified. The scenes of this famous fresco cycle do not constitute a strict chronological sequence, but are consistent with each other in meaning, establishing correspondences between various episodes in the history of finding the Cross. Since 1564, when the artist finished his work, all conceivable and unthinkable misfortunes fell on the frescoes: they were flooded, remade, used as a target, remade again ... In the 90s of the last century, art historians grabbed their heads and a grandiose restoration was announced, which continues this day.

At the very edge of the city, another masterpiece is worth a look - the church of S. Maria della Graces with a stunning Renaissance portico by Benedict Maiano (15th century)

The graceful town of pale ocher stone with Romanesque bell towers again disappeared under a wall of rain, and we decided that this weather was the best suited for departure. Having photographed the monument to Guido Monaco (the inventor of the music system) in the center of the round square near the station, we fled under the roof. Sitting on the platform, my husband thoughtfully studied the list of hotels in the city of Arezzo on the back of the map, and I, sitting on the bench and dangling my legs, thought that life is beautiful - the one and only!

Italy, Tuscany, July 2006