Arezzo

Arezzo is a beautiful and elegant city in Tuscany, which has the bad luck of being near unique places such as Florence, Siena and San Gimignano, and for that reason it is sometimes excluded from the touristic routes of Tuscany.


I like Arezzo, maybe, because it still has a special spirit and it is still a city where the stores and restaurants have been built for the Aretinos and not for the tourists. Actually, the city continues offering excellent places where to eat at reasonable prices.

Arezzo is also a city rich in art and history. The city preserves unique pieces from Medieval Art such as "Cristo del Cimabue" (Christ by Cimbaue), where for the fist time in the history of Medieval painting movement and perspective is given to the figures. Likewise, Arezzo also houses paintings and frescoes by other major artists such as: Piero della Francesca. If you go to Arezzo I also suggest visiting the Casa di Vasari ( Vasari’s House) , who was a great architect, writer, painter and much more during the period of the Italian Renaissance. Then you will find the house of Francesco Petrarca, who together with Dante and Boccaccio are considered the fathers of the Italian language.


Arezzo is also a nice place because of its elegant aesthetics halfway between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The city preserves a wonderful square called Piazza Grande, where various monuments from both historical eras co exist in perfect harmony. Cinema lovers would definitely recognize this beautiful Piazza, in which Roberto Benigni chased his "principessa" in the mystical film "La Vita e' Bella". Many of the scenes of the movie were filmed in this city, and, in fact, in one of the buildings of this square there is a board which indicates the different places where the various scenes of this unforgettable movie were filmed.


Arezzo is also one of the most important cities in Tuscany for its tradition of Antique objects collection. Besides having many antique shops, the city offers an important market every first Saturday of the month.

If in your Tuscan itinerary you decide to come to this city, I’d like to recommend two eating spots:

The first one is called Scugnizzo (I’ve already talked in the blog about this restaurant. For more information visit the link)

The second one is way more expensive than the first, but if you’re in for Tuscan food, you can’t miss it. The restaurant is called "Logge del Vasari" and it is located in the same big square on Via Vasari n15.


As usual I hope this information is of great help for you to organize your stay in Tuscany.




Regards,

Giovanni