Arezzo
Ancient city of central Tuscany, today Arezzo has about 100,000 inhabitants and it is placed at the meeting of four valleys that compose its province: Valdarno, Val Tiberina, Chiana Valley and Casentino. There are signs of settlements of the population in the pre-Etruscan period, as in a surrounding area traces of the city walls were found, above which the Roman walls were later built.
In the 9th century B.C. the city of Arretium already existed and it belonged to the 12 Etruscan lucumonies: actually La Chimera dates back to that time. It is a great work, now kept in Florence, that was and is up to the present the symbol of the city of Arezzo. The Etruscan history, the Roman history, populations as the Gauls and the Lombards, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines gave character to the city as we see it today: extremely rich in testimonies, culture, monuments and history to live.
The quiet old town centre witnesses the artistic originality of the city, at whose centre there is Piazza Vasari, also known as Piazza Grande. Here the magnificence is expressed with a mixed combination of styles: the Renaissance open gallery by Vasari is placed at the sides of the medieval towers, together with the palace of the fraternity of Laity, which represents a summary of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Throughout the city, both buildings and churches and museums offer you the opportunity to know works of priceless artistic value, which show the civilization of Arezzo in all its historical ages.
The medieval aspects of the city are mainly collected in the higher area, where you can find the Medici’s Fortress and the Cathedral of the Saints Pietro and Donato, better known as the Cathedral of Arezzo. The bell tower was built all over again for three times, due to planning problems - at first the sound of the bells damaged the stained-glass windows of the church, then with the second building an aquifer compromised its stability. The whole masterpiece was finished in 1914, that is almost 600 years after its planning. The marvellous inside aisles, the presbytery and all the works contained in this jewel of history are absolute and unmissable destination for each tourist.
Events of Arezzo still observed and of large attendance are the “Giostra del Saracino” (joust in Medieval costume), an historic event that involves all the districts of the city and that it is held in Piazza Grande, in June and September of each year, and the Antique Fair, where dealers throughout Italy and large part of Europe offer their wares - mostly antiques and handicrafts. The Antique Fair occurs on the first Sunday of each month, including the Saturday before.
The visit to Arezzo should cover the visits of the first Christian necropolis, the old Cathedral, the Temple of Saint Donato, the Amphitheatre, the Archaeological Museum G.C. Mecenate, the ruins of the Town Hall and of Palazzo del Popolo and Palazzo Pretorio, in addition to the Fortress, Piazza Grande and the Cathedral.
It is a very pleasant city for the tourist. It offers many and first-rate restaurants scattered inside its walls and it is ready to welcome you in every season of the year.
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Photo Source: Wikipedia