AREZZO

The city of Arezzo lies south of Florence in eastern Tuscany. Its origins go back to remote antiquity. It was one of the most important of the 12 cities of the Etruscans, and later became a Roman stronghold because of its position guarding the Appennine passes and dominating the upper and middle valleys of the Arno., the upper course of the Tiber and, to the south, the Valdichiana and the road to Rome.

From early times it was an important economic centre, rich in architectural monuments, among them the Roman Amphiteatre (see picture), of which important fragments survive. It was famous for its metal workers and for the craftsmen artists who produced red glazed vases ("corallini") by a thecnique which spread throughout the whole Roman world. After a period of eclesiastical ruel, Arezzo became a powerful free community, in which the ruling party was frequently the Ghibellines whose rivals were the Guephs, the rulers of the powerful city of Florence. After the Guelphs routed the Ghibellines at Campaldino (1289), near Poppi, the fortunes of Arezzo declined, and it spite of a recovery under the Tarlati, the city finally surrendered to Florence (1384). In 1535 it was incorporated, with the rest of Tuscany, into the Medici Grand Duchy.

The site of the battlefield of Campaldino, market by a modern monument, is on the banks of the upper Arno, in the Casentino near Poppi, and easily reached from Arezzo. Arezzo is set on a hillside on the edge of a plain formed by inundations of the Arno. The Cathedral and the Medici Fortress stand on the hilltop, from which the main streets fan out towards the city gates on the plain below. The upper quarter of the city retains a distinctly medieval aspect. The lower city towards the plain has a lively modern atmosphere. Arezzo is largely frequented by visitors interested in its typical economical and cultural aspects: a world-famous and internationally well-known gold and clothing industry, handicraft and the International Poliphonic Competition "Guido d'Arezzo".Its geographical position, speedy connections with the national railway and high-road net together with the modern structures of a "Commerce and Meeting Center" make Arezzo an ideal town for Assemblings on the Work and Study Sector.

The Cathedral (see picture), built between the late 13th and the early 16th centuries, is one of the city's most famous architectural monuments. This delicate yet austere example of Tuscan Gothic contains valuable works of art, among them a "Magdalene" by Piero della Francesca and stained glass windows by Guglielmo de Marcillat. Santa Maria della Pieve (12th and 13th centuries) is the largest and most beautiful romanesque church in the Arezzo region and certainly the most characteristic that sprang up in the city during the period of its indipendance, its tower of "a hundred holes" (so called its many double mullioned windows) is the emblem of Arezzo.