On this cold January day, made pleasant by full sun and the absence of that humidity that never leaves the Valdarno, we took a nice ninety-kilometer ride to Arezzo.
The city is located on the Cassia, on a hill at the intersection with four valleys (the Valdarno is precisely one of these) has always played an important and prominent role in Tuscan history and its rich monuments, churches and museums to visit, are today the legacy.
The friends who left Montevarchi joined me in Loro Ciuffenna (one of the most beautiful villages in Italy) and from here we continued in the direction of the provincial capital along the Setteponti, the ancient Etruscan-Roman road.
ᴀʟᴛʀᴇ ɪɴꜰᴏ ᴛʀᴀᴛᴛᴇ ᴅᴀ ᴇxᴩᴇᴅɪᴀ
Not far from Florence and Siena, Arezzo is an extraordinarily ancient city, older than Alexandria in Egypt. It was one of the major Etruscan centers and subsequently became a Roman city of strategic importance, as well as a center of flourishing economic activities. Today museums, theaters and monuments speak to the visitor, reviving past myths and glories in his imagination. The advanced network of accommodation facilities, on the other hand, combined with a unique local friendliness, make travel offers to Arezzo always attractive and advantageous.
The main attraction of the city is certainly the Basilica of San Francesco, located in the city center. Inside the Basilica there is the famous Bacci Chapel which preserves the wonderful cycle of frescoes of the Legend of the True Cross, a masterpiece of Renaissance painting by Piero della Francesca. Continuing along Corso Italia, we arrive at the Pieve di Santa Maria, characterized by an interesting Romanesque façade and by its bell tower, 59 meters high and also called "with a hundred holes", the most precious building of all the Tuscan Romanesque. Inside there is a polyptych by Pietro Lorenzetti, the Madonna, Saints and a wooden cross by Margarito. Of the ancient facade you can admire the extraordinary medieval cycle depicting the twelve months of the year.