Arezzo.
A charming hilly town in the east of Tuscany, Arezzo
boasts ancient origins. It was one of the greatest
etruscan "Lucumonie" succesively it became
a Roman town having a strategic position. It was an
important centre for economic activities and for its
oustanding monuments , such as the Amphitheatre with
numerous ruins. Famous for its foundries and the artistic
manufactures of red-painted vases (the so called coral
vases) which spread all over the Roman world. In the
Middle Age, Arezzo was a free city-state where the
Ghibellina supporters often prevail in an atmosphere
of friction with nearby Florence. After the rout of
Campaldino (1289) its fortunes were low and apart
from a brief period under the Tartari, it definetely
yielded to Florentine domination (1384) and became
part of Medicean Granducato. Arezzo is set on a hill
above the plain made up of the floods from Arno river.
In the upper part of the town you can find the Cathedral,
the Town Hall, the Medici Fortress, from which the
main streets branch off towards the lower part as
far as the gates. The upper part of the town maintains
its medieval aspect even if we can find later architectonic
monuments.
