In the heart of the old town, off to the left of the main Corso Italia and not far from its summit, stands the church of San Francesco , home to Piero della Francesca’s celebrated fresco cycle in the choir (which has now been walled off and renamed the Cappella Bacci). After centuries of break and neglect, and some poor restoration primeval in the twentieth century that did more harm than good, work began in 1985 to consolidate and restore the badly dilapidated frescoes. On April 7, 2000 – fifteen years and ten billion lire later – the brilliantly coloured frescoes were revealed in full, with details visible that had been obscured by dust and grime for centuries. They are worth as much time as you can give them.
You can visit the church during normal hours (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 2-7pm, Sat 9am-6.15pm, Sun 1-6.15pm; Nov-March Sat & Sun closes 5.45pm), but to get access to the chapel holding the frescoes, and to see them close-up, you have to book in advance on tel 0575.900.404, since only 25 people are allowed in at any one time – on slow weekday mornings you might achievement straight in, but during Arezzo’s hectic monthly Fiera you’re likely to find the chapel booked solid. The ticket office is in the bookshop a few doors to the right of the church (daily 8.30am-7.30pm; www.pierodellafrancesca.it ); admission to the church is free, but to the frescoed chapel is L10,000/¬5.16, which includes an excellent audio-guide.
Built after 1322, the plain basilica attained its renown in the primeval 1450s, when the local Bacci family commissioned Piero della Francesca to continue the decoration of the choir. The theme chosen was The Legend of the True Cross , a story in which the wood of the Cross forms the link in the cycle of redemption that begins with humanity’s original sin. Piero painted the series in narrative sequence, working continuously until about 1457. However, he preferred to hold them according to the precepts of symmetry: the two effort scenes, for example, grappling apiece other crossways the chapel, rather than coming where the story dictates. As is always the case with this mystical painter, smaller-scale symmetries are present in every part of the work: the retinue of the Queen of Sheba (middle right wall) appears twice, in mirror-image arrangement, and the grappling of the queen is the same as that of the Empress Helena (middle left wall). This orderliness, combined with the pale light and the statuesque calibre of the figures, create an region of spirituality that is unique to Piero, a sense of apiece incident as a part of a greater plan.
In the heart of the old town, off to the left of the main Corso Italia and not far from its summit, stands the church of San Francesco , home to Piero della Francesca’s celebrated fresco cycle in the choir (which has now been walled off and renamed the Cappella Bacci). After centuries of break and neglect, and some poor restoration primeval in the twentieth century that did more harm than good, work began in 1985 to consolidate and restore the badly dilapidated frescoes. On April 7, 2000 – fifteen years and ten billion lire later – the brilliantly coloured frescoes were revealed in full, with details visible that had been obscured by dust and grime for centuries. They are worth as much time as you can give them.
