Arezzo

Written by Philippa Burne, UK, March 2012

RECOMMENDATION Keywords:
Cultural Experience, Tip - Dos & Don'ts, Tip - General Travel, Town / City

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Comment from Philippa Burne

Giorgio Vasari. It’s unlikely you can visit northern Italy and not hear this name. He was a Renaissance painter, architect and writer who left us a legacy of pretty good paintings, great architecture and the tell-all book on those famous Italian painters and sculptors who changed Western art. Vasari’s Lives of the Artists is worth a look if you’re interested in understanding a little more about the real people who created those masterpieces you’ve come to Italy to see.

Vasari was born in the small town of Arezzo, which was an important Etruscan center before becoming part of the Roman Empire, then a free republic around the 10th century, and finally part of the Florence empire in the 14th century. Unfortunately the town was heavily bombed during World War II, but many of its treasures did survive and are worth seeing. The House of Vasari, which he built in 1540, is worth visiting, and paintings by the man himself are dotted all over town.

Editor’s Note: This recommendation was taken from our Tuscany Things to Do blog. Visit the original post to continue reading the full post and to learn more about things to do in Tuscany.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shahan via Flickr.

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