Tom`s travels: Arezzo & Rome (1-2/06/2019)

After our pilgrimage along the St Francis Way from Rimini to La Verna, we decided to visit the city of Arezzo and then head to Rome to finish our holiday. We woke up early at the monastery, and after a quick breakfast, we headed downhill to catch the bus taking us to the town of Bibbiena. After waiting for a while, we managed to catch it and reached Bibbiena not long after. Here we had to switch to a train that took us to Arezzo. From the station, we then headed to our accommodation, the B&B La Casa di Elide, located outside the city center in the western part of town. Here we welcomed by the friendly owner who showed us the room and around the rest of the B&B. After unpacking we then decided to head into town and visit the city. As we reached the old town we decided to look for a place to eat. The city was quite crowded, and that made us quite uneasy as we had been used to not seeing anyone for hours for the past week during our hike. We decided to have lunch at a place called Antica Osteria Agania, and had to wait for a while before being seated down. I had bruschetta as appetizer and then pasta with boar meat sauce, while Ania took a mix of grilled vegetables. Service was ok, my pasta was quite good while the rest not so. After lunch, we headed onwards and reached the Piazza Grande, Arezzo's main square. Oddly built downhill it features some beautiful buildings all around its perimeter, from medieval tower houses to the Renaissance Palazzo delle Logge, designed by Giorgio Vasari, finishing with the backside apse of the cheese di Santa Maria Della Pieve. The view of the surrounding piazza was mostly covered by the antiquarian street market which had been set up here, but that also gave it a different and more lively aspect. After admiring the square and taking a few photos we then headed onwards and reached the northern end of town passing first by the impressive Palazzo Pretorio. This renaissance palace, born from the unification of two medieval tower houses, has a facade filled with coat of arms and heraldic elements of the captains and podesta' who operated in the city. Once we had reached the Passeggio del Prato, a large public park located to the north next to the 16th Fortezza Medicea, we had a nice view of the hills that make up the Casentino park to the north. Next to the park was the Cathedral, which was still closed, so we decided to go ahead and come back here later. We then reached the Basilica of St Francis, which required a ticket to enter. Ania decided to wait for me outside while I headed in to visit the monument. Built in the typical local Florentine Gothic during the 14th century, it features a single long nave and several interesting interior decorations. The most famous of these is a cycle of frescoes located behind the main altar featuring the History of the True Cross by the famous artist Piero Della Francesca. Considered as his largest and one of his finest works, it is a clear example of early Renaissance masterpiece. Fully brought to its original splendor it presented some amazing scenes with vivid colors, incredible detail, and impressive skill. I really enjoyed looking at the two paintings featuring the battle between Constantine and Maxentius and that between Heraclius and Chosroes. After exiting the church and rejoining Ania, we then headed on and reached the roman amphitheater located at the southeastern end of town. Built between the 1st and 2nd centuries, it is one of the main ancient Roman monuments of the old city of Arretium. On the site, there is also a national archaeological museum that we decided to visit as part of the entry ticket. It featured objects from the Etruscan and Roman past of the city as well as its surrounding area, including a copy of the famous Chimera of Arezzo (now in Florence) one of the best examples of Etruscan artwork, found in fact in Arezzo. After the visit to the museum, we then continued our walk and reached the church of Sant'Agostino, originally built in the 13th century but with later additions. The interior was in fact fully Baroque. Particularly noteworthy was a painting from 1506 representing the Circumcision of Jesus; in 1922 it was stolen and cut into 5 pieces, luckily recovered not long after and put back together and in the church. We then passed by the church of Santi Michele e Adriano and had a look at its simple medieval interior. Then, up along Corso Italia, the old town's Main Street, bustling with people, we reached the church of Santa Maria Della Pieve. Probably the most emblematic in the city, it features a beautiful facade with loggias with columns increasing with height, and a tall bell tower to one side. The monument features a typical Romanesque style; the simple interior was once frescoed all over, while now a more somber aspect gives the monument an imposing attitude. Giorgio Vasari and his wife, Nicolosa de Bacci, are both buried there. Particularly nice was the crypt with column capitals featuring mythological figures and animals. Then, we were off to see the Cathedral, by now open as a wedding had just taken inside. Built at the highest spot of the hill on which the city is on, it was built during the 14th century in a Gothic style, over a pre-existing church, and probably an acropolis before that. Its interior was impressive, with three long naves, the central of which decorated with 16th-century frescoes on the ceiling. There was also some nice glazed terracotta by Andrea Della Robbia and several funerary monuments, the nicest of which was that of Guido Tarlati, lord of Arezzo, dating to 1330. The most impressive thing of the whole church was though the Arca di San Donato, a beautiful marble Gothic arch dating to the 13th century and dedicated to Saint Donatus, bishop of Arezzo during the 4th century. After admiring the beautiful Cathedral, we headed back and once more through the Piazza Grande, admiring the square as the artisans and market stalls were closing up and the sun was starting to set. We then decided to look for a place to have dinner, and after reaching the modern Piazza San Iacopo, found a place called Spazio Morini Caffetteria which offered a nice aperitivo buffet. We sat outside on the square and enjoyed a spritz with some tasty food. After dinner and a last stroll through town, we decided to head back to our accommodation and get some sleep. The following day, we finally were able to wake up without rush and at a decent hour. We had breakfast on the balcony and then got ready to leave. We headed to the train station where we took the next regional train taking us to Rome. As we reached the eternal city, it was lunchtime so we decided to look for a place to eat not too far ahead. We reached a pastry called Panella, which seemed quite liked among locals and tourists, and took some focaccia to eat on a bench. Then we continued on and reached the Parco del Colle Oppio, from there we could clearly see the Colosseum and began approaching it. As it was the 2nd of June, national holiday in Italy, the place was packed so we decided to head forward, and opted to go see the Quirinal Palace, the official residence of the President of the Republic, as it opened its door to the public on that day. The line to go in was quite long but it moved relatively fast, we were in and about after being checked and scanned by the security. Only the Giardini del Quirinale, the large park behind the Palace, were visible as the palace itself was off-limits. We were given a little pin with the Italian flag on the way in and reached the gardens which were full of people. We relaxed among the beautiful greenery including palms and cacti in the nice roman weather. Then after a stroll around the city, it was time for Ania to head to the airport and for me to head back home. We parted ways and were off to our respective jobs the following day.