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.