Described byLivy as one of theCapita Etruriae (Etruscan capitals), Arezzo (Aritim inEtruscan) is believed[by whom?] to have been one of the twelve most importantEtruscan cities—the so-calledDodecapolis, part of theEtruscan League. Etruscan remains establish that the acropolis of San Cornelio, a small hill next to that of San Donatus, was occupied and fortified in the Etruscan period. There is other significant Etruscan evidence: parts of walls, an Etruscan necropolis onPoggio del Sole (still named "Hill of the Sun"), and most famously, the two bronzes, the "Chimera of Arezzo" (5th century BC) and the "Minerva" (4th century BC) which were discovered in the 16th century and taken toFlorence. Increasing trade connections withGreece also brought some elite goods to the Etruscan nobles of Arezzo: thekrater painted byEuphronios c. 510 BC depicting a battle against Amazons (in the Museo Civico,Arezzo 1465) is unsurpassed.[citation needed]
Around 261 AD the town council of Arezzo dedicated an inscription to its patronL. Petronius Taurus Volusianus. See that article for discussion of the possible political/military significance of Volusianus's association with the city.
In the 3rd to 4th century Arezzo became an episcopal seat: it is one of the few cities whose succession ofbishops are known by name without interruption to the present day, in part because the bishops operated as the feudal lords of the city in theMiddle Ages. The Roman city was demolished, partly in the course of theGothic War and of the late-6th-century invasion of theLombards, partly dismantled, as elsewhere throughout[citation needed]Europe. The Aretines re-used the stones for fortifications. Only theamphitheater remained.
Thecommune of Arezzo threw off the control of its bishop in 1098 and functioned as an independentcity-state until 1384. GenerallyGhibelline in tendency, it opposedGuelph Florence. In 1252 the city founded its university, theStudium. After the rout of theBattle of Campaldino (1289), which saw the death of BishopGuglielmino Ubertini [it], the fortunes of Ghibelline Arezzo started to ebb, apart from a brief period under theTarlati family, chief among themGuido Tarlati, who became bishop in 1312 and maintained good relations with the Ghibelline party. The Tarlati sought support in an alliance withForlì and its overlords, theOrdelaffi, but failed: Arezzo yielded toFlorentine domination in 1384; its individual history became subsumed in that of Florence and of the MediceanGrand Duchy of Tuscany. During this periodPiero della Francesca (c. 1415–1492) worked in the church ofSan Francesco di Arezzo producing the splendid frescoes, recently restored, which are Arezzo's most famous works. Afterwards the city began an economical and cultural decay, which ensured the preservation of its medieval centre.
In the 18th century the neighbouring marshes of theVal di Chiana, south of Arezzo, were drained[by whom?] and the region became lessmalarial. At the end of the-century French troops led byNapoleon Bonaparte conquered Arezzo, but the city soon turned (1799–1800) into a resistance base against the invaders with the"Viva Maria" movement, winning the city the role of provincial capital. In 1860 Arezzo became part of theKingdom of Italy.
Arezzo is set on a steep hill, rising from thefloodplain of theRiver Arno. In the upper part of the town are the cathedral, the town hall and the Medici Fortress (Fortezza Medicea), from which the main streets branch off towards the lower part as far as the gates. The upper part of the town maintains its medieval appearance despite the addition of later structures. Arezzo's city proper is near the high risk areas for earthquakes, but located in a transitional area where the risk for severe earthquakes is much lower than in nearbyUmbria andAbruzzo, albeit it is slightly more vulnerable thanFlorence.[12] Notable earthquakes are still a very rare phenomenon in theprovince, with a 4.6 quake 25 kilometres (16 mi) to its north-east that claimed no lives on 26 November 2001 the exception.[13]
Arezzo has ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) with hot and dry summers combined with mild and rainy winters. The annual average temperature is 13.54 °C (56.4 °F), the hottest month in August is 23.56 °C (74.4 °F), and the coldest month is 4.66 °C (40.4 °F) in January. The annual precipitation is 864.03 millimetres (34.02 in), of which November is the wettest with 120.8 millimetres (4.76 in), while July is the driest with only 42.24 millimetres (1.66 in).
Climate data for Arezzo, elevation: 248 m or 814 ft, 1991-2020 normals, extremes 1938–present
Arezzo is home to an annual medieval festival called theSaracen Joust (Giostra del Saracino). In this, "knights" on horseback representing different areas of the town charge at a wooden target attached to a carving of a Saracen king and score points according to accuracy. Virtually all the town's people dress up in medieval costume and enthusiastically cheer on the competitors.
Arezzo hosts an annual popular music and culture festival each July, calledArezzo Wave. Publicly funded, it attracts bands of high repute and attendees from all over Europe and North America and features some literary and film expositions.
Arezzo also hosts an annual international competition of choral singing Concorso PolifónicoGuido d'Arezzo (International Guido d'Arezzo Polyphonic Contest).
Arezzo has a starring role inRoberto Benigni'sfilmLife Is Beautiful (La vita è bella, 1997), which won three Academy Awards (Best Foreign Film, Best Actor, Best Original Score).[citation needed] It is the place in which the main characters live before they are shipped off to aNaziconcentration camp
Arretium was used in the PC gameRome: Total War as the Capital of the Roman Faction ofJulii.
Piazza GrandePiazza GrandeAerial viewThe Vasari Loggia on Piazza GrandeCathedral of ArezzoCathedral of ArezzoThe Communal Palace in ArezzoChurch of San DomenicoSanta Maria della PieveCimabue'sCrucifix in the church of San Domenico, 1265–1268TheTarlati polyptych byPietro Lorenzetti, 1320, atSanta Maria della Pieve; includes a depiction ofDonatus of Arezzo (far left)City wallRoman amphitheatre
The Piazza Grande is the most noteworthy medieval square in the city, opening behind the 13th centuryRomanesque apse ofSanta Maria della Pieve. Once the main marketplace of the city, it is currently the site of theGiostra del Saracino ("Joust of the Saracen"). It has a sloping pavement in red brick with limestone geometrical lines. Aside from the apse of the church, other landmarks of the square include:
The Palace of the Lay Fraternity (Fraternita dei Laici): 14th–15th century palazzo, with a Gothic ground floor and aQuattrocento second floor byBernardo Rossellino
Santa Maria della Pieve: the most striking feature of thisRomanesque church is the massive, square-planned bell tower with double orders ofmullioned windows. The church was built in the 12th century over a pre-existing Palaeo-Christian edifice, and was renovated a century later with the addition of the characteristic façade made ofloggias with small arches surmounted by all different-styled columns. Also from the same century is thelunette with theVirgin between Two Angels and the sculptures of the months (1216) over the main portal. the interior has a nave and two aisles, with a transept also added in the 13th century. In the following century chapels, niches and frescoes were added, including the polyptych ofVirgin with Child and Saints byPietro Lorenzetti (1320). In the crypt is a relic bust of St. Donatus (1346). From the same epoch is the hexagonal baptismal font, with panels of theHistories of St. John the Baptist, byGiovanni di Agostino. ThePieve was again renovated by Giorgio Vasari in 1560.
Cathedral ofSaint Donatus (13th – early 16th centuries): the façade of thisGothic style church remained unfinished, and was added in the 20th century. The interior has a nave and aisles divided by massive pilasters. The left aisle has a fresco byPiero della Francesca portraying theMadeleine. Noteworthy are also the medieval stained glass, the Tarlati Chapel (1334) and the Gothic tomb ofPope Gregory X.
Basilica of San Francesco (13th–14th centuries): built in Tuscan-Gothic style. Of the projected façade cover in sculpted stone only the lower band was completed. The interior has a single nave: the main attraction isThe History of the True Crossfresco (1453–1464) cycle byPiero della Francesca in the Bacci Chapel. Under the church is another Basilica with a nave and two aisles (Basilica inferiore), today used for art exhibitions.
Basilica of San Domenico (founded in 1275 and completed in the early 14th century): the interior has a single nave with aCrucifix byCimabue, a masterwork of 13th-century Italian art. Other artworks include aSts. Philip and James the Younger and St. Catherine bySpinello Aretino and other 14th century painting and sculpture decorations.
Santissimi Annunziata
San Michele: this church has a modern façade. Traces of the original Romanesque edifice and the Gothic restoration can be seen in the interior.
Santa Maria in Gradi: this medieval church was initially built in the 11th or the 12th century, but reconstructed in the late 16th century byBartolomeo Ammannati. The interior has a single nave with stone altars (17th century) and aMadonna of Misericordia, terracotta byAndrea della Robbia.
Church of St. Augustine: founded in 1257, modified in the late 15th and the late 18h centuries. The façade and the interior decoration are largely from Baroque times. The square plan bell tower is from the 15th century.
Badia delle Sante Flora e Lucilla (12th century): The abbey was built by Benedictine monks in the 12th century, it was totally restored in the 16th century under the direction of Giorgio Vasari. The octagonal bell tower is from 1650. The interior, in Mannerist style, has an illusionistic canvas depicting a false dome byAndrea Pozzo (1702). There are also aSt. Lawrence fresco byBartolomeo della Gatta (1476) and aCrucifix bySegna di Buonaventura (1319).
San Lorenzo: one of the most ancient of the city, having been built before the year 1000, most likely in Palaeo-Christian times. Rebuilt in the 13th century and restored in 1538, it was totally rebuilt in 1705. The apse exterior is in Romanesque style.
Santa Maria delle Grazie: a late Gothic sanctuary with a Renaissance portal byBenedetto da Maiano (1490). It has also a marble high altar byAndrea della Robbia including a pre-existing fresco by Parri di Spinello (1428–1431). The sanctuary was built over a font dedicated toApollo, which was destroyed bySan Bernardino of Siena in 1428, building an oratory in its place. The church was erected in 1435–1444 and has a chapel entitled to St. Bernardino.
Santa Maria a Gradi (1591): a monastery existing already in 1043. It has a Baroque interior, but with an altar by a collaborator of Andrea della Robbia.
Santissima Trinità: this church was built in 1348, it was totally renovated in 1723–1748 in Baroque style. It houses a 14th-century Crucifix, a banner painted by Giorgio Vasari in 1572, a painting ofNoli me tangere byAlessandro Allori (1584) and other artworks.
Santa Maria Maddalena: built in 1561 over a pre-14th century structure. It houses aMadonna with Child (Madonna of the Rose) by Spinello Aretino, visible in the high altar (c. 1525) designed byGuillaume de Marcillat. It is now private property.
Pieve di San Paolo: erected as Palaeo-Christian baptismal church, rebuilt in the 8th-9th centuries and then rebuilt in Romanesque style in the 13th century. The bell tower is from the 14th-15th centuries. The entire church was again renovated after the 1796 earthquake. It has kept 15th-century frescoes byLorentino d'Andrea and a cyborium. The transept entrance has granite columns with marble capitals from the 5th century AD.
Pieve di Sant'Eugenia al Bagnoro: documented from 1012, it was one of the most importantpievi of the diocese during the Middle Ages. The presbytery area is from the 12th century, while the rest is from the 11th century. The bell tower, partially ruined, stands on one of the three apses.
Pieve di San Donnino a Maiano, at Palazzo del Pero (6th–9th centuries): documented from 1064, it replaced a Palaeo-Christian baptismal church. The frontal part was rebuilt in the 14th century. The apse has 15th century frescoes and a woodenMadonna with Child from the same age.
Palazzo dei Priori: erected in 1333, has been the seat of the city's magistratures until today. The edifice was numerous times restored and renovated; the interior has a court from the 16th century, a stone statue portraying aMadonna with Child (1339), frescoes, busts of illustrious Aretines, two paintings by Giorgio Vasari. The square tower is from 1337.
Palazzo Camaiani-Albergotti (14th century, renovated in the 16th century), with the Torre della Bigazza
Palazzo Bruni-Ciocchi: Renaissance edifice attributed toBernardo Rossellino. It is seat of the State Museum of Medieval and Modern Art.
Palazzo Pretorio: which was seat of the People's Captain until 1290. The façade has coat of armas of the captains,podestà and commissaries of the city from 14th to 18th century. Only one of the two original towers remains.
Casa Vasari (in Via XX Settembre): an older house rebuilt in 1547 by Giorgio Vasari and frescoed by him; now open as a museum, it also contains 16th-century archives. The main rooms were decorated by Vasari in an illusionist manner. The drawing room, where Vasare painted the life journey of an artist, with the artistic virtues protected by the gods of antiquity represented as heavenly bodies, is remarkable.
Ivan Bruschi House and Museum (Casa-Museo Ivan Bruschi)
