Piazza San Francesco, located near the main theatre, hosts two icons of Arezzo’s urban landscape: the first, important for its works of art and for the role it has played in the town’s history is the Pieve di San Francesco, and the second, instead, is renowned because it seems to have always existed and been there: the Caffè dei Costanti.
Both of these historical places are worth visiting, although the reasons are different. The church houses one of Piero della Francesca’s most famous works of art, the Legend of the Cross. Although the interior of the church was damaged when Napoleon’s troops invaded the city, the recently restored frescoes above the altar will be enough to capture your attention and leave you almost breathless with their colours, perspective and Piero’s artistic genius. To enter there is an entrance fee to pay, but it is really worth it.
The Café, however, opened back in 1809 and has seen Arezzo, during its long history, go through countless vicissitudes and in one way or another has been too long separated from the city and its development in not being officially recognized as a historical monument.
