Cathedral of San Donato - Credit: Luca Aless
One of the most important religious buildings in Arezzo is the Basilica of San Francesco (13th-14th century), with the astonishing Cappella Bacci, where you can find frescoes by Piero della Francesca depicting the Legend of the True Cross and dating to the second half of the 15th century. The Cathedral of Arezzo is dedicated to Saint Donatus and dominates the city from atop a hill. The Gothic cathedral actually had an unfinished façade for much of its history, until it was added in the 20th century. Inside, there are treasures like the medieval stained windows by Frenchman Guillaume de Marcillat, another fresco by Piero della Francesca depicting Mary Magdalene, a wooden choir designed by Vasari, a baptismal font with a relief by Donatello and terracottas by Andrea della Robbia.
It’s clear that Vasari is a very important figure for Arezzo, and you can see other works of his at Vasari’s House, which was planned and painted by the artist himself, and at the Museum of Medieval and Modern Art with a fresco of the Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist. The Romanesque Church of Santa Maria della Pieve is located between piazza Grade and Corso Italia, and was first documented in 1008. The interior boasts a Gothic style, however, while the bell tower, with five rows of mullioned windows, is in the Romanesque style. This sandstone church is unique because of its many details, like the five-arched façade topped by three porticoes of columns, and each one is different. The apse of the church can be seen from piazza Grande.
