Arezzo Churches, Art and Architecture

Much of the art in Italy is found in its many churches.  The most obvious example is the Vatican with its overwhelming volumes of art of all types.  There is so much you can't see it all, even if it were all out for open access.  Whether or not you are a student of the history of art and architecture, when you are in Italy, you must visit the churches!   Here are some of the churches of Arezzo.

Italian Vocabulary

There are many benefits of staying away from the more well known cities in Italy. Some of the benefits; fewer tourists, discovery of little known treasures, exposure to a less commercial environment; and …you get to use your newly honed Italian language skills!! In cities like Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Siena, etc., there are a lot of Italians who speak English and very well. They are typically kind enough to recognize you are not Italian and speak English to you first before you even have to worry about if they will understand you. However – in a town such as Arezzo, there is not as much English spoken – so you get to exercise the vast dictionary of the Italian language you have stored in your head before your trip … or so I thought.

It was either the first or second day in Arezzo and we had not adjusted to the 6 & 8 hour time change, much less the different meal schedule that is “Italian”.  You soon learn the Italian meal schedule is a long and relaxing lunch (2-3 hours), and dinner (or supper for those of us in the Southern US) starts no earlier than 8pm. You can always tell the Americans, they are sitting in the otherwise empty restaurants early – as soon as they are open. Our American clocks were telling us we should have been asleep, and our stomachs were screaming “FEED ME”. The decision was quickly made that we would go to a “Rosticceria” (a store that sells cooked meats and other prepared food) and take an early dinner back to the room. This particular rosticceria just down the street from Camera Con Vista, had many selections among which was small individual pizzas. I gathered all my courage and timidly stepped up and greeted the woman behind the counter … “Buona Sera, … Vorremmo una pizza con il formaggio e una pizza con carciofi"  (Good evening,  we would like a pizza with cheese and a pizza with artichokes) … easy enough – well understood, the pizzas were thrown in the oven to be warmed. I was feeling good about my abilities to place the order.  While the pizzas were warming … I remembered we wanted a couple of drinks to take with us. In Italy they make this wonderful peach flavored tea .. so with a new found confidence here I go again … “Anche … due bottiglia de te – te di pesce per favore".  Laughter … bending over laughter from behind the counter. Oh no .. what did I say? You see, I had ordered 2 bottles of tea – the FISH tea please!!! After she could contain herself, she kindly and gently corrected me … in English. “You would like the peach tea, yes? … ‘ you must understand pesce is fish’ and ‘pesca is peach’”.  After receiving our pizza, tea and a warm nod for my attempts at Italian, we departed laughing all the way back up the hill to the hotel.

Arezzo - Top of the Town

Arezzo is a medium-size Tuscan city that is built on a sloping hill. The city is known for its antiques, artistic masterpieces and armies at war, such as the 1289 Battle of Campaldino. A more recent recognition of Arezzo comes from the city being used for the setting of some of Roberto Benigni’s 1999 Oscar-winning film La Vita e Bella (Life is Beautiful).

The town climbs, at its highest point is the ruins of the 16th century Medici Fortress - which was undergoing restoration, so we could not go in. Joining the grounds of the fortress is a beautiful city park (Parco il Prato), that provides you beautiful open views of the valley surrounding the town as well as the bell tower of Arezzo’s Duomo.

As we strolled around the fortress, we noticed there were chestnuts covering the ground, having fallen from the many trees lining the path. Some were freshly fallen, with shells looking like richly polished furniture. Throughout our trip we ran across street vendors selling roasted chestnuts ... the scent from the carts was so new yet so familiar ... the scent of fall.

The Duomo was begun in 1278 and continued until 1510, with a campanile added in 1859 and a façade completed in 1914 – I guess you can’t rush good Italian art and architecture. Some consider the stain glass windows of the church some of the greatest masterpieces of art in the church. They are attributed to a French immigrant Guillanume de Marcillat. Around the exterior of the church were lots of steps that wrapped around three sides of the building.

Arrezo's Antiques Fair

On a day trip to Deruta (a small town in Umbira) last year, we happened upon a small antiques fair.  Loving to attend antique fairs here in the US, it made for a wonderful surprise and the perfect day.  

This year we knew we would be spending a few days in Arezzo and the timing of of our arrival on the 1st Sunday of the month of October was perfect.  On the first Saturday and Sunday of every month Arezzo fills Piazza Grande and the surrounding streets with over 700 vendors to host the largest antiques fair in Italy.

If you need an activity to keep you moving and fight the 1st day jet-lag, this is it!

Oh ... and if you looking for a stone Italian Arch to complete the decor in your living room - this is where you can get it.

Exposure to Italian Mornings

The beauty of a morning in a small Italian hill town - they start with a lovely slow and measured pace. The first morning in Arezzo was just that. Piazza Grande was almost empty, cafe owners were even enjoying a cafe' under the arches of the Palazzo delle Logge. Studying a city map over breakfast and determining the general direction of the day was the first order of business.

Piazza Grande (shown in heading of the blog as well as below), a sloping trapeziod-shaped square. Quiet this morning. A stark contrast to the previous afternoon when we arrived. At that time the Piazza was full of hundreds of antiques, dealers and shoppers.