The city of Arezzo lies south of Florence in eastern Tuscany.

Its origins go back to ancient times. It was one of the most important of the 12 cities of the Etruscans and later became a Roman stronghold due to its position dominating the upper and the middle valleys of the Arno, the upper course of the Tiber and, to the south, the road to Rome.

From early times it was an important economic centre, rich in architectural monuments, among them the Roman amphitheatre, of which important fragments still survive.

It was famous for its metal workers and for the craftsmen and artists who produced red glazed vases (corallini) with a technique which spread through the whole Roman world. After a period of ecclesiastical rule, Arezzo became a powerful free city-state during the XII and XIII centuries. Then the fortunes of Arezzo declined and the city finally surrendered to Florence (1384). In 1535 it was incorporated, with the rest of Tuscany, into the Medici Grand Duchy.

Arezzo is set on a hillside on the edge of a plain formed by the flooding of the Arno. The Cathedral and the Medici Fortress stand on a hilltop, from which the main streets lead to the city gates on the plain below. The upper part of the city retains a distinctly mediaeval aspect. The lower city towards the plain has a lively modern atmosphere.

Arezzo is mainly attracts visitors interested in its world-famous gold and clothing industry, handcrafts and the Guido d’Arezzo International Polyphonic competition.

Its geographic position, fast connections to the national railway and highway network, together with the modern facilities of the Commerce and Meeting Centre, make Arezzo an ideal town for meetings in the work and study sector.

The main monuments in Arezzo are the Cathedral, built between the late 13th and 16th centuries, one of the city’s most famous architectural monuments containing valuable works of art, including a Magdalene by Piero della Francesca, Santa Maria della Pieve (12th and 13th centuries) is the largest and most beautiful Romanesque church in the region. Its “tower of a hundred holes” is the emblem of Arezzo. Behind the church is the Piazza Grande where on the first Sunday of September every year mounted knights representing the four districts of the city compete in the Joust of the Saracen (Giostra del Saracino). The piazza is surrounded by the church and the Palazzetto della Fraternità (14th-15th-16th centuries), the palace of a lay fraternity, on the third side; and by the impressive mass of the pillared Loggiato dei Vasari on the fourth side; in the Basilica of San Francesco are preserved Piero della Francesca’s frescoes of the Story of the Cross (dating from 1452), a lodestone for those who consider Renaissance civilisation one of the great achievements of the human spirit.

Well worth a visit is the Archeological Museum with its rich and varied collections, including notable numismatic collections, Etruscan and Greek vases and sculptures.