In Arezzo, the beautiful Tuscan city, nature, history and art come together to offer us the pleasure of enjoying a wonderful experience.
Arezzo is a land of artists and it is also a place where today many artists and art lovers go to feed their soul and their senses and to meet the muses of the past and present.

Testimonies to the genius of Giorgio Vasari, Piero della Francesca, Beato Angelico, Luca Signorelli, Bartolomeo della Gatta and other artists from the Arezzo and Cortona schools. There’s a gallery spread throughout the heart of the historic center of the city that can be seen, step by step, on a tour that explores the most important places of worship and museums in Arezzo.

This journey into Arezzo’s golden age starts outside the walls, built by the Medici to surround the city. The first stop is the Church of “Santa Maria delle Grazie” which has a portico by Benedetto da Maiano. He was a master of architectural studies on perspective and brought his expertise in geometry and light to this structure, surrounded by green spaces and the peacefulness of a sacred place. The light enters inside Santa Maria delle Grazie and blends with the shining colors of the glazed terracotta pieces by Andrea della Robbia on the high altar.

Inside the walls, there is the Church of SS. Anunziata which was founded on the site of the Miracle of Our Lady of Tears. This church was built in the 16th century based on a project by Bartolomeo della Gatta and houses the Deposition by Giorgio Vasari, the Adoration of the Shepherds by Niccolò Soggi and the Virgin Appearing to Saint Francis by Pietro da Cortona. Its interior is illuminated by twelve stained glass windows by Marcillat.

Don’t miss the two museums that are just a few steps away from the church. These museums are for fans of the Renaissance. The first museum is the Vasari House-Museum which was designed by the master and has his frescoes inside. This museum is considered a small gem of art and architecture. It houses the Vasarian Archives that contain some of Vasari’s correspondences with other great men of his time, including Michelangelo. The second museum is the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art inside the Palazzo Bruni Ciocci building. This museum is also called “La Dogana” and it houses the “Convito” for the Wedding of Ester and Assuero by Vasari, one of the largest wood panel paintings from the 16th century, as well as pieces by Bartolomeo della Gatta and works of art from the Della Robbia workshop.

Heading towards the Piazza della Badia square, you’ll see the Church of Saints Flora and Lucilla. This 13th century church was transformed in the mid 16th century on a project by Giorgio Vasari and today it houses a monumental altar complex which the artist himself created as a family chapel. In this place of silence and mystical reflection, you can take a tour with the sacristan who will show you the treasures of the church including the iconic Vasari yellow of the “Pala Albergotti,” the magical illusion presented by the trompe l’oeil Baroque dome by Andrea Pozzo and the fresco of Saint Lawrence by Bartolomeo della Gatta.

Continue your journey in the footsteps of Piero della Francesca and you come to the Piazza San Francesco square where the Basilica of Saint Francis is located. This church houses the fresco series called the Legend of the True Cross, a masterpiece of the master from Sansepolcro as well as the Annunciation by Luca Signorelli and frescoes completed by his followers and pupils.

As you leave the Basilica of Saint Francis, you’ll take Via Cavour street towards Corso Italia street until you come to Palazzo Redi and Palazzo Guilicchini, two perfect examples of Renaissance architecture. Passing these, you’ll continue the uphill climb of Corso Italia street until you reach Piazza Grande square. Once you enter the square, you’ll notice that everything seems to bear Vasari’s signature, from the Vasari “Logge” to the “Palazzo della Fraternità.” These structures are the architectural jewels of one of the most beautiful squares in the world. But, the tour doesn’t end here. Continue uphill through the historic center of Arezzo towards the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Donato. Inside, to the left of the altar there is a delicate Renaissance fresco painted by Piero della Francesca with Saint Mary Magdalene. The stained glass windows are by Marcillat and shine like a rainbow. The Chapel of the Madonna del Conforto has works of art by Della Robbia.

Last but not least is the Medici Fortress, built on the Hills of Saint Donato at the behest of Cosimo I De Medici. This fortress has an unusual history because it was built by the lord of Florence in order to protect himself from the people of Arezzo. Today, the walls and ramparts of this splendid pentagon are all that remain. The Fortress has become the perfect spot for contemporary art exhibitions and events. On the top of its walls, there is a long paved path that runs along the entire perimeter of the Fortress and offers visitors spectacular panoramic views of Arezzo.

Tags:   Arezzo Art Arte Culture Cultura Painting Pintura Architecture Arquitectura Tuscany Toscane Toscana Italia Italy Italie Renaissance Rinascimento Renaixement Renacimiento

© All Rights Reserved

Elisabetta Sirani - "Porcia hurting in the thigh" (1664, oil on canvas, 101 x 138 cm, Fondazione Cassa di Rispamio, Bologna)

Elisabetta Sirani was an artist of Italian classicism, belonging to the Bologna School. This school originated in the Workshop of the Carracci and one of their most famous representatives was Guido Reni,of which we have already seen several works. But I'm sure this girl's name only rings a few. And it's a shame, because she was a great painter. He had trained in the workshop of his father, Giovanni Andrea Sirani, disciple of Guido Reni, but in a very short time managed to give soups with slingshot to his father. She became very famous and ended up running the family workshop, where she trained many other women. He died very young, at the age of 27, but despite being active for only a decade he left a very extensive production.

This is one of his best works, a painting depicting a historical fact starring another woman of break and tears, the Roman Porcia Catonis,daughter of Cato and wife of Marcus June Brutus, one of which was charged to Julius Caesar. The story of the painting appears in the Lives of Pluto. Porcia suspected that her husband was hiding her plans about the conspiracy against Julius Caesar and to get him to trust her, he cut his thigh with a knife, making himself a much more serious wound than the scratch that Sirani has painted, since it caused him severe fevers. Holding the pain like a jabata, she waited a whole day to teach Brutus the wreck, showing her that women are as strong as men and that she would be able to keep it a secret even if they tortured her. Unsurprisingly, Brutus brought her up to date on the whole thing.

Although the painting was commissioned by wealthy sed merchant Simone Tassi, Sirani he hesd is more than likely to choose the subject, with which he was already claiming his trade. It's easy to make a comparison between Porcia's show of strength and the difficulties Sirani had to overcome in order to become famous in a male-led art world. Porcia holds the dagger and Sirani holds the brushes, attributes that were then typical of men, rejecting the traditional female spinning and knitting activities performed by the three women at the bottom of the painting. A full-rule feminist plea.

Tags:   Sirani Elisabetta Sirani Bologna Emilia-Romagna Reni Guido Reni Painting baroque barocco barroc barrok barroco dipinti pintura women artists art arte culture cultura

© All Rights Reserved

Rogier Van der Weyden, 1435 ca.
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid


Rogier van der Weyden’s Descent from the Cross is a masterpiece that is characterized by a heightened sense of theatricality. The ten figures depicted in the painting resemble a group of actors that have been asked to perform on an unconventional stage. As they are crammed in a confined space that is both narrow and shallow, the painting exudes an unsettling, claustrophobic sense. The emotion that emanates from the intense drama taking place inside is heightened significantly. Furthermore, extreme emotion is portrayed in the physical reaction of the Virgin Mary and the contorted position of mourning of the woman on the right edge (Mary Magdalene). The Virgin’s overall position echoes that of Christ, conveying a state of ultimate empathy. Everyone has tears on their face or is extremely sombre. But the expression of the woman on the left edge of the painting (Mary of Clopas) and of the man holding Christ’s feet (Joseph of Arimathea or Nicodemus) are the most striking of all, as they are the ones that are currently crying. They are portrayed as consumed with crying, both expressions so lifelike and moving. Mary of Clopas is standing in the corner inconsolable, her eyes closed, her face covered in tears, wiping them, holding her head, with her whole body bent from sorrow, while the man is shown to cannot stop his tears either, his mouth turned downwards, his forehead frowned and filled with protruding veins.

Tags:   Rogier Van der Weyden Van der Weyden Weyden Painting Museum Museu Museo Miusée Art Arte Canvas Oil pintura Prado Museo del Prado Descent The Descent from the Cross Descendimiento Renaissance Rinascimento Renaixement Renacimiento

© All Rights Reserved

Cathedral of Barcelona
Choir, XIV-XV th centuries

Going along the central nave, stop to admire the beautiful wooden choir that was started in the late 1300s and completed in the following century by Catalan and German sculptors. The pulpit is also from the same era. The 61 seats are arranged in two rows and depict scenes from the Passion and Death of Christ. You can see coats of arms on the seats, which are from the Order of the Golden Fleece; in fact, members of the sacred brotherhood gathered right here in 1519 in the presence of the newly elected Emperor, Charles V.

Tags:   Choir Cathedral Duomo Cattedrale Catedral Cathedrale Church Chiesa Basilica Esglèsia Igreja Kirche Kerk Église Basilique History Art Architecture Arquitectura Barcelona Catalonia Culture Gothic Gòtic Gothique Gótico

© All Rights Reserved

Night view of the Palacio de Cibeles building, headquarters of the Madrid City Council.

Work of the architect Antonio Palacios, built between 1907 and 1919.
Located in Plaza de Cibeles in the historic center of Madrid.

Tags:   Cybele Palace Palacio de Cibeles Building Madrid Spain Art Architecture Town Hall City Hall Ayuntamiento Arquitectura Arte España

© All Rights Reserved