The ultimate city guide to Arezzo, Italy
Located at the confluence of three large valleys, the Casentino, the Upper Valdarno and the Val di Chiana, Arezzo is a Tuscan city of almost 100,000 inhabitants, the capital of the province of the same name in the green heart of central Italy.
With a wide and varied territory, the Municipality includes a rich constellation of minor villages, and in its area streams, plains, rolling hills and more rugged mountains are intertwined: from the Val di Chiana you pass to the hills south of the city, that rise in the highest peaks east of Arezzo.
What to see in Arezzo
Once in the historic center, it is worth visiting the church of San Francesco, where the ancient structure of the thirteenth century coexists with a bell tower of the sixteenth century, and over the centuries has been strengthened by several renovations.
Inside you can admire works of art of great value, especially the wonderful cycle of frescoes created by Piero della Francesca between 1453 and 1466.
Not far away is Corso Italia, the historic street of medieval origin that still constitutes the main axis of Arezzo: lined up with elegant bearing, numerous ancient buildings overlook the road, including the Church of San Michele, Palazzo Bacci, Palazzo Camaiani and the Torre della Bigazza.
Among the churches, the Pieve di Santa Maria certainly stands out, the most beautiful and majestic church building in the city and one of the best examples of Romanesque architectural style in the region. Begun in 1140 and modified several times, the parish was only completed in the nineteenth century.
From here you can continue the walk along via Cavour, crossing the suggestive Piazza Grande, also known as Piazza Vasari, to arrive in front of the Cathedral: completed at the beginning of the 16th century, the imposing building stands at the top of a Gothic staircase. The portal that dominates the facade is instead Romanesque-Gothic and invites visitors to enter and discover the splendid stained glass windows by Guillaume de Marcillat, the Tarlati Chapel, the fresco of the Magdalene by Piero della Francesca and the other priceless jewels that the church contains.
In Arezzo, there is no shortage of museums and art galleries, very useful for those who want to learn more about local history and Tuscan culture: to see the Diocesan Museum, the Palazzo del Comune with its collection of paintings, the famous Casa Vasari today seat of the Vasari Museum and Archive, the birthplace of Francesco Petrarca, and finally the Archaeological Museum Mecenate, with the artifacts found in the Arezzo countryside, vases, ceramics, coins and bronzes from the Etruscan and Roman periods.
Events and festivals
A lively cultural sensitivity is echoed by so much historical and artistic wealth, clearly visible in the events that are organized in Arezzo during the year.
The festivals par excellence are that of the patron San Donato, which is held on 7 August, and that of the Madonna del Conforto, which falls on 15 February.
There are also numerous fairs and markets, including the Antiques Fair and the September Fair. The Christmas markets are on the Advent weekends, and there is no shortage of musical events. In particular in autumn the International Festival “I Grandi Music Appointments ”, but the most characteristic and most awaited event is the famous Giostra del Saracino, a historical re-enactment that takes place in Piazza Grande on the penultimate Saturday of June and the first Sunday of September and which sees the four historic districts of the city challenge each other.
Climate
In a variegated and multiform landscape, Arezzo enjoys a continental climate with more pronounced characteristics than the rest of Tuscany, due to the distance from the sea and the particular location, halfway between the Valdarno and the Apennines. Precipitation is irregular, depending on whether the Atlantic wet currents or the dry currents of the continent blow over the city and the temperature range is high. The average temperatures of the coldest month, January, ranging from a minimum of 0 ° C to a maximum of 9 ° C, while in July and August it ranges from 14 ° C to 30 ° C.
How to get Arezzo
Reaching Arezzo is not difficult, whatever the means are chosen for travel. Those traveling by car and coming from Florence or Rome must take the A1 motorway and exit at Arezzo, then travel the last 10 km to the very heart of the city. There are also bus connections with all locations in the province of Florence, Siena and Rome. Those who choose to travel by train will find the city’s railway station along the Florence-Rome line, while the closest airports are Amerigo Vespucci in Florence-Peretola, 91 km away, and Galileo Galilei in Pisa, 156 km away.