One of the richest cities in Tuscany, Arezzo is home to some of the finest jewellers and goldsmiths in Italy and indeed, boasts the world’s largest gold manufacturing plant. It is the old town, however that is of the most interest, not least for its wealth of antique shops and if you are lucky enough to be there at the right time, a huge monthly antique market. The Piazza Grande, theDuomo and the Roman theatre are all worthy of attention but it is the Basilica of San Francesco which beckons the most, for it is the home of Piero dellaFrancesca’s ‘Legend of the True Cross’ one of the finest Renaissance frescoes in Tuscany, if not the world. In the afternoon, drive to Cortona, much publicised by Frances Mayes in her book, ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’. Set high on a hill, it is typical of an Etruscan settlement, but it is its medieval heart which is the attraction today. It is a maze of narrow streets which climb forever upwards to the castle on the top and through some stunning squares
