Just a 15 minute walk from Piazza della Repubblica is the church of Santa Maria Nuova, which is part of the diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro. The church was built in the middle of the 16th century by Giorgio Vasari. The building is extremely interesting as regards its plan, conceived according to a centralized scheme, with a Greek cross inscribed in a square and surmounted by the main dome (finished only in the XVII century). Internally, the four mighty pillars on which the tambour of the dome is set rise. On the sides, the four arms of the cross are covered by a barrel vault, while four small domes rise on the corner spaces.
Among the works of art are the Nativity by Alessandro Allori, St. Charles Borromeo taking Communion to the plague victims by Baccio Ciarpi, and the Annunciation by Empoli. From the square in front of the church there is a fantastic view of an unspoilt valley.
