Get out of Town: Next stop Arezzo
As many of you readers know, there's more to Tuscany than just Florence. Each week I try and find a new place to suggest to friends and family and this week I hit the jackpot with the lovely town of Arezzo. Set on a steep hill overlooking the floodplain of the Arno, this is a fantastic 38 minute train ride from Florence. Remember the 1997 academy award winning film, “Life is Beautiful”? You’ll see it here in Arezzo, with many of the scenes shot right in the city and nearby countryside.
The small 11th century city boasts big things, like the Piazza Grande, the most noteworthy medieval square in the city, opening behind the thirteenth-century Romanesque apse of S. Maria delle Pive. Once the main marketplace of the city, it is currently the site of the Giostra del Saracino ("Joust of the Saracin"). Also must sees are the numerous churches located at the top of the hill, the ampitheatre, the Medici Fortress, and the famous Anitque Fair that occupies Piazza Grande and many of the streets leading to it, with an array of some 500 stalls by which is fun to browse though.
Arezzo is also home to an annual popular music and culture festival, each July, called Arezzo Wave. Publicly funded, it attracts bands of high repute and attendees from all over Europe and North America. It also features literary and film expositions.
On weekends, via Corso Italia is the place to been seen while shoping. Via San Franceso has a handful of really fantastic wine bars and restaurants, too many to count! You can’t go wrong coming here, and although there are tourists, there is something charming about this place and you feel like you fit right into the Italian way of life. As usual, plan your trip so you arrive in the morning and not at lunch time. With many Tuscan towns, they all close around lunch time, so plan on taking a nice long 2 hour lunch with the locals. Enjoy!