“Arezzo would be enough for the glory of Italy” (G. Carducci)
Arezzo is an extraordinarily ancient town, even more than Alexandria, Egypt. Arezzo is believed to have been one of the most important Etruscan cities and, conquered by the Romans , a military station. In the Middle Ages the commune of Arezzo managed to outclass Siena, but in 1289 it had to surrender to Florence after the rout of the battle of Campaldino. Then, in 1384, Arezzo yielded to Florentine domination and thus became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. During this period Arezzo enjoyed peace and prosperity until 1799, when it was conquered by the French troops led by Napoleon Bonaparte. Only in 1815, with the Congress of Vienna, Arezzo was again part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until 1861 when, after a plebiscite, it became a province of the Kingdom of Italy.
Some of the most important characters of the Italian history and literature were born in Arezzo, from Piero della Francesca(one of the most important painter of the world) to Pietro Aretino, Giorgio Vasari, Francesco Petrarca and Luca Signorelli.