From Urbino head southish en route to Arezzo on the S73, a route which crosses the Apennine range via the Bocca Trabaria Pass which is one of the highest road passes. Spectacular scenery plus spectacular driving by oncoming truckers around the hairpins maintained our interest!
Viewed Anghiari as we passed. Set atop a hill and lit by the warm sun, this looked a perfect Tuscan town. All of the houses and roofs blended in shades of sandy ochre. Except, someone evidently hadn’t received the email and had garish washing out to dry.
Stayed 10k outside Arrezzo. Travelled in on the local bus. We know how to hit the high spots. Despite heavy bombing in WW2 the city has many notable buildings. Great atmosphere in the warren of smaller side streets, which may or may not be pedestrianised. Italian drivers seem to regard these areas as a challenge – can I get through that gap without clipping a tourist?
The Basilica of San Francesco is a late Medieval church in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy, dedicated to St Francis of Assisi. Poor old Francis is shown receiving his painful looking stigmata in virtually every church we have been in!
The Basilica is especially renowned for housing in the chancel the fresco cycle Legends of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca. This is almost a comic strip illustrating the cycle. Some gory details are evident, and overall the works are remarkable for their brilliance and clarity. The church contains other renowned works of religious art. The exhibition on the lower floor about coffee and chocolate seemed jarringly irrelevant, and frankly, not very good.
