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Medieval castles, Romanesque parish churches, Etruscan excavations and ancient monasteries such as Camaldoli and La Verna blend into an intact Tuscan landscape that became a National Park in 1991. The course is immersed in this extraordinary "green heart of Tuscany" and can be followed entirely from the Club House located at the top of wide terraces surrounded by oak and chestnut groves. The current 13 holes all present elements of interest and should be played with care. Technique and accuracy are preferable to particular power skills. The natural obstacles and the layout offer the possibility of using all the clubs in the bag available to the player, as well as all the strokes in his repertoire. The club founded in 1985 was able to have the first four holes available to its members in 1987 and the 9-hole course from 1990. In 1994, the current driving range was inaugurated, while in 2013 the 10th and 11th holes of the 18-hole completion under construction were approved.
Piazza Grande or Piazza Vasari in Arezzo is one of the most harmonious architectural complexes in Italy, and therefore in the world. Built on a steep slope, its unusual trapezoid shape is overlooked by churches, historical buildings, loggias and ancient shops.
Looking out from the Pozzo on the lower part of the square, on the left we see the Pieve di Santa Maria and the Palazzo della Fraternita del Laici with its astronomical clock still working. On this side is also the splendid public fountain. On the upper side of the square stands the silhouette of the Palazzo delle Logge built to a design by Vasari. To the right is Palazzo Lappoli with its wooden gallery and Palazzo Casatorre dei Cofani with its characteristic tower. Curiosity: this is the square in Benigni's 'Life is beautiful', when he is seen riding his bicycle several times. Piazza Grande is home to the monthly Antiques Fair and the Joust of the Saracen.
Overlooking the Piazza Grande, the apse of the Pieve di Santa Maria contributes to the overall scenography of Arezzo's main site. The main façade of the church is hidden in Via Seteria, to the left of the square.
It has five blind arcades in the basement and three orders of arcades supporting 68 columns. The mighty bell tower on the right is known as the '100 holes' because of the particular workmanship of the double lancet windows combined on five levels. The interior has three naves with a trussed ceiling. The most important work in the parish church is the polyptych by Pietro Lorenzetti depicting a Madonna and Child, the Annunciation, the Assumption and 12 saints. The apse, which faces Piazza Grande, is Romanesque with blind arcades and two superimposed loggias.
Arezzo has rightly paid tribute to one of its most illustrious sons: Giorgio Vasari, Italian painter, architect and art historian. Vasari bought this palazzetto in 1511 but did not live there for long: immediately after his marriage to 14-year-old Niccolosa Bacci, he moved to Rome and then to Florence. Despite this, he directly occupied himself with the decoration of the house, collecting paintings, sculptures and other works that have largely disappeared.
Since 1911, it has been owned by the State, which has turned it into the Vasariano Museum and Archive, containing writings and correspondences that the artist kept with other personalities of his time, including Michelangelo, Cosimo I de Medici and Pius V. The ownership of the archive is disputed between the State and the current owners of the building, who have tried to sell the entire archive to a Russian buyer. A visit to the Casa Museo allows visitors to admire the works distributed over three floors: the flat with the Camera della Fama e delle Arti, the Camera delle Muse, the Camera di Abramo and the Salone del Camino decorated by Vasari and his pupils. In addition, there is a beautiful roof garden that the artist personally tended.
The Giostra del Saracino is an equestrian tournament held twice a year in Arezzo. (June and September)
Although it has medieval origins, it has been contested in its modern era since 1931 and pits the four quarters into which the city is divided against each other: the Quartiere di Porta Crucifera (also known as 'Colcitrone'), the Quartiere di Porta del Foro (also known as the 'Quartiere di Porta San Lorentino'), the Quartiere di Porta Sant'Andrea and the Quartiere di Porta Santo Spirito (also known as the 'Quartiere della Colombina' and corresponding to the ancient Quartiere di Porta del Borgo).
The Joust is nowadays disputed in medieval costume (14th century), in memory of its magnificence at the time of the free commune, but presumably in Arezzo it was already held in the 13th century.
It is an ancient chivalrous competition, which has its origins in the Middle Ages and consists of hitting a target, placed on the shield that Buratto (a revolving automaton impersonating the 'King of the Indies') holds on his left arm with a spear stroke at the end of a fast career on horseback. All this without being hit by the mace, which Buratto himself holds in his right arm, which is activated by a spring mechanism that increases the rotating action already imparted by the rider's blow.
In the beginning, this riding against a puppet was probably a military exercise, which would slowly take on the connotations of an event in which knights challenged each other during particular celebrations or simply to demonstrate their skill.
This small museum is one of the many little-known Italian treasure troves that are always overshadowed by large galleries.The Museum of Medieval Art in Arezzo, on the other hand, is just what you would expect from a museum: a fine selection of works, the quiet to be able to admire them without crowds, competent and helpful guides.
The museum is housed in the beautiful "Casa della Dogana" that once housed the State Monopolies. After passing through the large porticoed courtyard, you enter the rooms divided by historical period. Along the way you will encounter works by Pietro Lorenzetti, Parri di Spinello, Bartolomeo della Gatta, Andrea della Robbia, Vasari, beautiful ceramics of the Umbrian and Tuscan schools, until you reach the more recent works of the Tuscan 19th century with canvases by Telemaco Signorini and Cecioni
If the Church of San Francesco is the most popular with tourists, due to the presence of Piero Della Francesca's frescoes, the Cathedral of San Donato is the church of the people of Arezzo whose vicissitudes it has followed over the centuries. Built on the site of the ancient city Acropolis, it was built starting in 1278 and finished only in 1500.
The facade was redone in the early 1900s while the original interior is divided into three wide naves.The stained glass windows by Guillame de Marcillat and Piero della Francesca's Magdalene painted in 1465 stand out for their beauty.In the adjoining Diocesan Museum are preserved several works including some by Vasari and Luca Signorelli. The marble panel with the "Baptism of Christ" decorating the Baptismal Font is attributed to Donatello.
Not far from Porta San Lorentino is the Arezzo farmers' market in the city. Here you can find all the best products from the Arezzo countryside.
Every Saturday there are tastings of local products to discover jams, yoghurt, pasta and much more.
And if you get hungry after going up and down in Arezzo, you should know that at Alle Logge del Grano you can also eat in the osteria of the same name on the first floor from 12 noon to 3 p.m. every weekday and on the first Sunday of the month.
Like all ancient cities, Arezzo is surrounded by mighty walls and the city could once only be entered through controlled gates, the Porte.
Today, the walls have lost their protective character, but they still encircle the oldest part of Arezzo for about 2.5-3 km.
Would you like to take a walk in the green and admire the walls on one side and the countryside landscape on the other?
Then you can certainly stroll along the walls and stop to admire the various gates, such as Porta San Lorentino in which is preserved a copy of the mythical Chimera: a lion on whose back is the head of a goat and whose tail is a snake.
The work of Etruscan artists now in the National Archaeological Museum in Florence, the Chimera was found in the 16th century in the area of Porta San Lorentino while work was being carried out on the new walls commissioned by the Medici who had become lords of the city.
Cosimo de Medici wanted it for himself and was so enraptured by it that he cleaned the little monster himself, using goldsmith's tools.