Arezzo
Illustrious citizens of Arezzo
There was room for only a very fleeting visit to Arezzo on the itineraries of the Grand Tourists. Sometimes comments were made about its position (on a hill, at the center of a fertile plain – Delpuech de Comeiras, 1804), but its fame was linked above all to the celebrated figures who had been born there (Maecenas, for instance) and the artistic and literary culture of its past, as it had been the home of Guido d'Arezzo, the inventor of modern musical notation, Guittone and Petrarch, Aretino and Vasari. Lalande (1765) summed it up: «there is almost no small city in Italy that has had as many illustrious citizens as Arezzo».
Sights not to be missed
The monument that characterized the city was the cathedral, with its striking stained-glass windows, common in the countries of Northern Europe but not elsewhere.
Passing mention was given to the statue of the grand duke owing to its location, in the square in front of the church.
Another church, Santa Maria delle Grazie, impressed travelers with its fine marble steps and portico standing on elegant columns.
People also visited the Logge del Vasari, onto which faced the customs house and theater, and their curiosity was stirred by the brotherhood known as the Fraternita dei Laici, devoted to the assistance of the sick, needy and orphaned.
Travelers with a special interest in antiquities went to see the ruins of the Roman amphitheater, as did Smollett (1765) while waiting for his carriage to be repaired, and a number of collections of archeological finds.