Piazza  Grande  (Arezzo)​

By Dion Protani
Latest update: 8 January 2022
The Piazza Grande in Arezzo gained worldwide fame when it featured in scenes from the film Life is Beautiful (1997) starring Roberto Benigni. In one of the film's most memorable scenes, the young family are shown riding a bike through the sloping Piazza. 

A beautiful building with a covered arcade runs along the highest side of the Piazza which steeply slopes from one side to the other. 
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At the lower end of the slope, a covered well stands in front of a row of medieval buildings of irregular heights. The eastern side of the Piazza has similar characteristics to the lower side with its own historic buildings including a tower.

It's from this eastern side that you can get the full effect of the slope as you look across to the rear of the 10th century Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pieve which stands next to the Palazzo della Fraternità. The interior of the Palazzo is the Fraternità dei Laici, a museum displaying antiques and paintings, from whose top floor you can get some of the best views down onto the square.  

The long, porticoed building that runs along the highest side of the slope is the Palazzo delle Logge which was designed by Renaissance architect Giorgio Vasari in 1572.
City: Arezzo

Province: Arezzo

Region: Tuscany

Landmarks: Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pieve, Palazzo delle Logge

Close by: Basilica di San Francesco, Arezzo Cathedral

Recommended accommodation: Hotel Arezzo Sport College

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