Description

Hanging onto a steep hillside first inhabited by the Etruscans, Arezzo is one of the most peaceful Tuscan cities, with a pleasant pedestrianized historical center that is a pleasure to walk around. The Aretines (inhabitants of Arezzo) are a pretty proud lot (the Florentines like to call them "e;snobby"e;). Their important commercial and military history has generated a local character so distinct from that of their Tuscan neighbors that the province is often referred to as the "e;anticamera dell'Umbria"e; (Umbria's lobby). The city's cultural and artistic heyday came at the end of the 12th century when it was established as an autonomous commune under Bishop Guido Tarlati (under whose rule were built its most beautiful monuments). Adhesion with the Ghibellines saw the start of violent skirmishes with the Florentine Guelphs. The Florentine victory at Campaldino brought Arezzo under the control of Florence and later of the Medici. The Valtiberina (or Upper Tiber Valley) occupies the easternmost edge of Tuscany, on the border with Umbria, Emilia-Romagna and Mare. Much fought over between papal Rome and imperial Florence, this countryside is peppered with castles and monasteries. It is the homeland of Michelangelo (Caprese) and Piero della Francesca (Sansepolcro), plus hilltop medieval villages like Anghiari, Badia Tedalda and Monterchi, river centers like Pieve Santo Stefano, and abbeys, convents and sanctuaries. Cortona boomed as a tourist destination after the