The 10 Best Churches & Cathedrals in Arezzo, Tuscany

Reviewed By Marco_Polo499 - Milan, Italy

St. Francis is an unassuming Franciscan church which contains a real trove of frescoes of the Renaissance period, many of which were painted by the most famous artists of that time. Among these, the frescoes painted by Piero della Francesca in the years 1452-1464 stand out: they narrate the "History of the true cross" and are one of the greatest masterpieces of painting of all time. In fact, they marked a turning point in the history of painting, to the point that the aesthetic ideas expressed in those frescoes are still a source of inspiration for today's painters: celebrated artists such as Botero, Balthus and Diego Rivera carefully studied them, and this is clearly perceived in their works. Piero painted all the walls of the Great Chapel (also called the Bacci chapel), located behind the high altar; in various squares he narrated both historical events and hagiographic legends concerning the Holy Cross: among the most famous scenes of the cycle are the veneration of the Queen of Sheba of the tree from which the wood of the Holy Cross will be taken (a legend) and the dream of the Holy Cross made by Emperor Constantine the night before his battle with Maxentius (a historical fact). Detailed information concerning these frescoes is posted at the entrance of the church (in Italian, English, French and German). In the past the colours of the fresco had dramatically paled because of the intense daylight coming through the windows, but about 30 years ago they were perfectly restored thanks to the generous sponsorship of a local bank (Banco dell'Etruria, a bank which was recently dismembered and partly dissolved due to a sad story now under scrutiny by the courts). Two other cycles of very remarkable frescoes were painted by Parri di Spinello Aretino (Parri, son of Spinello the Arezzian) who is sometimes referrred to as Parri Spinelli: he was born in Arezzo in 1387. The first cycle is in the Guasconi's chapel (also behind the high altar); the second one is located in the upper part of the left wall of the church; the latter cycle had originally been painted on the façade of the medieval Hospital Santo Spirito (Holy Spirit), a hospital also known by the name Santa Maria del Ponte (St. Mary of the Bridge); this hospital was located in the centre of Arezzo and operated continuously from 1216 until 1924; in the year 1880 the frescoes by Spinello were detached and transferred to their present position. The church hosts innumerable other frescoes by less important artists. Many of them have suffered the ravages of time and man and, for some, only fragments remain. My family is from Arezzo and my elders told me that, during the Napoleonic campaign of Italy, the French army used the church as a stable for their horses; it is also known that in the 19th century plans were made for transforming the church into a theatre ! From the architectural point of view the church is absolutely disappointing: it looks like a shed, since the interior is just an immense empty room; no decoration was ever applied to the façade, which has the masonry visible. The church is a National Monument. Access is 8 €, and reservations are required. Access to the church is free when the religious functions are in progress, but access to the chapels is not allowed at that time. The ticket office is in the basement of the church. Opening hours are: Monday to Friday 9:00 to 18:30; Saturday 9:00 to 13:30; Sunday from 13:00 to 17:30. Access is free on the first Sunday of each month. The best hours to visit are in the afternoon, when Piero's frescoes are strongly illuminated by daylight; in the rest of the church the lighting is dim and artificial.