Lucca

One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things - Henry Miller

Pienza

Pienza, a town and comune in the province of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany (central Italy).  It is located between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino.

This lovely town was a beautiful consolation prize when the earthquake this morning cancelled our planned trip to Norcia and to visit Abbey's in that area.

Pienza is a lovely town, well known for pecorino cheese and the drive to get there isn't too bad either.

 

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.