 This
town stands 296 m. above sea level on a hilly slope near a
wide plateau on which open the Valdarno, Casentino and Valdichiana
valleys. Of Etruscan origin, it was an important Roman Municipium
in the Imperial period; after the fall of the Empire it came
first under Goth then Byzantine, Lombard and Frankish rule.
Between the 9th and 11th centuries it was governed by the
Bishop-Counts before becoming a free municipality (late 11th
century). This was the town's period of greatest splendour.
In the photo: Chiesa di San Domenico.
Old rivalry with Siena and Florence,
marked also by defeat at Campaldino at the hand of the Florentines
(1289), gradually sapped its power until, in 1384, it was
definitively joined to the Florentine State, sharing its
fortunes until unification with Italy. The principal monuments
are to be found in the old town centre, which has a Renaissance
appearance: Pieve di S. Maria (12th century, Romanesque,
with a beautiful façade, inside, a polyptych by P.
Lorenzetti), Basilica of S. Francesco (14th century, housing
the `Leggenda della Croce', a series of frescoes by Piero
della Francesca), Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici (Gothic-Renaissance,
14th century), church of S. Domenico (13th-14th century,
crucifix by Cimabue), Duomo (13th-16th century), Casa del
Vasari (16th century).
Town in Tuscany, Italy, 80 km/50 mi southeast of Florence
population (1999) 91,300. Originally an Etruscan settlement,
Arezzo is an important market for agricultural and animal
products from the fertile surrounding districts, and trades
in textiles and clothing, shoes, olive oil, antiques, and
gold and jewellery crafts. There is a fresco series by the
Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca.
As regards the economy, Arezzo is still an important market
for agricultural and animal products from the fertile surrounding
districts. Industry is also of note, favoured by good road
and rail communications (Florence-Rome line) and is present
in the clothing, footwear and engineering sectors. Crafts
(jewelry) and tourism are also quite important.
Events in Arezzo
Concorso polifonico `Guido d'Arezzo' (August)
Giostra del Saracino tournament
1st Sunday in September
We are talking about a very particular joust that takes
place in Arezzo, it's the "Giostra del Saracino",
a sort of tournament that takes inspiration from a past
with graceful ladies and proud knights. Everything happens
on the last week of June; the knights defy a steady puppet
wearing an armour, with a sort of medioeval bludgeons in
one hand. The puppet turns around every time that the knights
strike its shield, so that they have to be able to avoid
to be bludgeoned.
La Fiera dell' Antiquariato Antiques
Arezzo
Date First Sunday of the month all year.
Type of Event Fair, Antiques, Crafts
What is it about: The Arezzo antiques fair
started in 1968, and has become one of the most important
in the country. The fair is set in the most picturesque
parts of the old medieval town centre and over 800 antiquarians
exhibit every month.
Contact Azienda di Promozione Turistica, Arezzo Piazza della
Repubblica, 28 - Arezzo phone 0039 0575 377678
Famous People:
Francesco Petrarca (poet, 1304-1374), Guittone d'Arezzo
(poet, 1230-1294), Pietro Aretino (poet, 1492-1557), Leone
Leoni (goldsmith, 1509-1590), Giorgio Vasari (painter and
architect, 1511-1574), Guido d'Arezzo (inventor of the stave,
992-1050).
Cultural Institutions:
Petrarca Academy of Science, Letters and Arts, Costanti
Academy, Mecenate Archeological Museum, Vasarian Museum
and Archives, Diocesan Museum of Religious Art, Medieval
and Modern Museum and Gallery, Petrarca Theatre.
In the Province: Cortona
(Etruscan Academy, Archeological Museum), Sansepolcro (environmental
interest, pasta factories), S. Giovanni Valdarno (industry),
Caprese Michelangelo (Michelangelo museum), Montevarchi
(Paleontological Museum), Anghiari (Museum of peasant art
and traditions in the upper Val Tiberina).
In the photo: Campanile |
Segnalaci
siti notizie per turisti o eventi
