VISIONS OF TUSCANY

PROVINCE OF AREZZO

VISIONS OF TUSCANY

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Click here to see a road map of the Arezzo Province Travellers from Rome to Florence will invariably pass through Arezzo take the time to experience some of the more unusual and less-frequented places that Tuscany has to offer. One of these cities is Arezzo, and not just because it has emerged in modern times as an extremely important industrial centre for the working of gold. click here to see a map of the city The city has been transformed in a short period of time from a prevalently agricultural economy to a mainly industrial one, and has also become, as has already been mentioned, a world centre for gold craftsmanship. The first reliable evidence of the existence of a settlement here dates back to the period between the 4th and 5th century BC, when it developed as one of the largest centres of Etruscan civilisation (Arretium). In the Roman period, when it became an ihe Alpe di Poti, in the centre of a wide basin where the Valdarno Superiore, the Casentino, and the Valdichiana all converge. Despite various changes made over the course of time, Arezzo has managed, partly due to its position, to preserve the environmental and architectural character of its most ancient quarter, perched in the highest part of the city; its shape has remained unaltered, circled by a road perimeter running round the old 13th century walls. Looking at the overall evolution of the urban and architectural layout, it's possible to see a fan-shaped expansion dictated by the particular position of the city; there are a series of adjoining layers, with the oldest section at the top, then a second, later area of development which also lies within the 13th century walls, and finally the contemporary expansion which has seen the city spread beyond the many gates of the city wall and into the basin below.  The building of the Autostrada del Sole highway in the 60s, followed by the quadrupling of the Florence-Rome railway, has meant that Arezzo lies in an advantageous position at the centre of the national transport network. The Aretini have taken full amportant military outpost on the Via Cassia and an ally of Rome,the city expanded southwards and an imposing amphitheatre was built. Traces of this period can still be seen today. A period of decline started in the 2nd century AD,stretched right through the rest of the Roman period and continued till the early Middle Ages. The institutions of the comune city-state began to be established in the 11th century, and until the definitive conquest of Arezzo by Florence in the 14th century, there were a series of victories and defeats in wars with Florence and Siena that are also recalled in Dante. If you get the opportunity to visit Arezzo between the end of August and the first few days of September, you'll catch one of the most well-known cultural manifestations held in the region, the (Giostra del Saracino, click here to see image) the Joust of the Saracen, which takes place in Piazza Grande. Set against the background of the prevalently medieval city centre, the Aretini gather together to side with and support the lancers on horseback. If you miss this fascinating historical re-evocation, there's the chance for another leap into the (more recent) past at the antique fair. Held on the first weekend of each month, hundreds of stall-holders come from all over Italy and visitors crowd the streets of the ancient city centre. Much of the city centre is closed to traffic, except for tourist access to the hotels, but moving around on foot shouldn't just be regarded as an administrative imposition. It's an opportunity to experience things that can only be seen from the paved streets, from the doorways of palaces, and from under the overhanging buildings rising in the narrow, uneven alleyways. The Church of S. Francesco is a 13th century Gothic construction with a single nave and trussed roofing. The facade was added the following century, and it was altered and restored at the beginning of the 20th century. The church contains paintings by important artists such as Loretino d'Arezzo, Spinello Aretino, Niccolò di Pietro Aretino, and Piero della Francesca, some of whose most important works are in this church. Restoration of his Battle between Hercules and Cacus and the Discovery and Proof of the True Cross by the Superintendence of Arezzo and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure of Florence, which started in 1985, has recently been completed and they can now be viewed by the public. The work on the remaining frescoes should be completed within the next few years. Moving into the upper part of the city, there is the Pieve di S. Maria, a fine example of Tuscan Romanesque architecture; it was begun in the 12th century, had some Gothic touches added the following century, and was completed by Vasari in the 16th century. The most striking architectural feature is the imposing campanile (1330), called the 'tower of the hundred holes' because of the regular structure of matching double mullioned windows. Behind the Pieve is the Piazza Grande, also called Piazza Vasari. It's irregular in shape and the buildings looking onto it are in a variety of styles: the Palazzo del Tribunale, the Palazzo della Fraternità dei Laici, and the grandiose Palazzo delle Logge. Climbing further we reach the Duomo, an imposing Gothic construction that took two hundred years to build (13th-15th centuries). The unfinished facade was realized according to a design by Dante Viviani at the begining of the 20th century. Inside there is a large central nave and two side aisles with beautiful soaring pillars. There are also many art works including a fresco by Piero della Francesca. The large chapel of the Madonna del Conforto, which dates back to the end of the 18th century , contains terracottas by Della Robbia. Finally, and still in the upper part of the city, there is the Church of S. Domenico, positioned in a quiet little piazza with trees. This late 13th century Gothic church has been altered on various occasions over the centuries. In the light single-nave interior there are frescos from the Aretine and Sienese schools.