This town stands 296 m. above sea level on a hilly slope near a wide plateau on which open the Valdarno, Casentino and Valdichiana valleys. Of Etruscan origin, it was an important Roman Municipium in the Imperial period; after the fall of the Empire it came first under Goth then Byzantine, Lombard and Frankish rule. Between the 9th and 11th centuries it was governed by the Bishop-Counts before becoming a free municipality (late 11th century). This was the town's period of greatest splendour. In the photo: Chiesa di San Domenico.

Old rivalry with Siena and Florence, marked also by defeat at Campaldino at the hand of the Florentines (1289), gradually sapped its power until, in 1384, it was definitively joined to the Florentine State, sharing its fortunes until unification with Italy. The principal monuments are to be found in the old town centre, which has a Renaissance appearance: Pieve di S. Maria (12th century, Romanesque, with a beautiful façade, inside, a polyptych by P. Lorenzetti), Basilica of S. Francesco (14th century, housing the `Leggenda della Croce', a series of frescoes by Piero della Francesca), Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici (Gothic-Renaissance, 14th century), church of S. Domenico (13th-14th century, crucifix by Cimabue), Duomo (13th-16th century), Casa del Vasari (16th century).

Town in Tuscany, Italy, 80 km/50 mi southeast of Florence population (1999) 91,300. Originally an Etruscan settlement, Arezzo is an important market for agricultural and animal products from the fertile surrounding districts, and trades in textiles and clothing, shoes, olive oil, antiques, and gold and jewellery crafts. There is a fresco series by the Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca.
As regards the economy, Arezzo is still an important market for agricultural and animal products from the fertile surrounding districts. Industry is also of note, favoured by good road and rail communications (Florence-Rome line) and is present in the clothing, footwear and engineering sectors. Crafts (jewelry) and tourism are also quite important.

Events in Arezzo
Concorso polifonico `Guido d'Arezzo' (August)

Giostra del Saracino tournament 1st Sunday in September
We are talking about a very particular joust that takes place in Arezzo, it's the "Giostra del Saracino", a sort of tournament that takes inspiration from a past with graceful ladies and proud knights. Everything happens on the last week of June; the knights defy a steady puppet wearing an armour, with a sort of medioeval bludgeons in one hand. The puppet turns around every time that the knights strike its shield, so that they have to be able to avoid to be bludgeoned.

La Fiera dell' Antiquariato Antiques Arezzo
Date First Sunday of the month all year.
Type of Event Fair, Antiques, Crafts
What is it about: The Arezzo antiques fair started in 1968, and has become one of the most important in the country. The fair is set in the most picturesque parts of the old medieval town centre and over 800 antiquarians exhibit every month.
Contact Azienda di Promozione Turistica, Arezzo Piazza della Repubblica, 28 - Arezzo phone 0039 0575 377678

Famous People: Francesco Petrarca (poet, 1304-1374), Guittone d'Arezzo (poet, 1230-1294), Pietro Aretino (poet, 1492-1557), Leone Leoni (goldsmith, 1509-1590), Giorgio Vasari (painter and architect, 1511-1574), Guido d'Arezzo (inventor of the stave, 992-1050).

Cultural Institutions: Petrarca Academy of Science, Letters and Arts, Costanti Academy, Mecenate Archeological Museum, Vasarian Museum and Archives, Diocesan Museum of Religious Art, Medieval and Modern Museum and Gallery, Petrarca Theatre.

In the Province: Cortona (Etruscan Academy, Archeological Museum), Sansepolcro (environmental interest, pasta factories), S. Giovanni Valdarno (industry), Caprese Michelangelo (Michelangelo museum), Montevarchi (Paleontological Museum), Anghiari (Museum of peasant art and traditions in the upper Val Tiberina).

In the photo: Campanile