Information about Arezzo

Position: Arezzo, the capital of a vast province in mid-eastern Tuscany, is in easy reach of Firenze (km. 70), Siena (km. 65), Perugia (km. 80) e Roma (km. 200).

Climate: Arezzo is situated inland near the western face of the Appenines and has a continental climate, without a great seasonal range of temperatures. The fact that the town is on a hill mitigates the effects of high summer temperatures.

History: The first archeological evidence of the existence of an urban site goes back to the VI century B. C. The few traces that have remained are nevertheless important: short stretches of wall; the remains of a necropolis, the two famous bronzes of the Chimera and of the Minerva (V and III centuries B.C.), which came to light in the 16th century; vases made of bucchero (a typically Etruscan black terracotta) and imported Greek pottery (Euphronios' crater, Arezzo Archaeological Museum).

In the City: Many are the sites of exceptional historical, artistic and cultural interest, all easily reached from the Continentale Hotel with only a short distance from one to the other:

The church of S.Francesco with it's very famous fresco's by Piero della Francesca (4 minutes), the roman amphitheater (5 minutes), the archeological museum (4 minutes), the house of Petrarca (7 minutes), the house of Vasari (4 minutes), the cathedral (10 minutes), the medicea fortress (12 minutes), P.zza grande (8 minutes), the Pieve of S.Maria (7 minutes), the museum of Medieval and modern art (10 minutes).

Economy and special events: Every first weekend of the month in the historical center, there takes place the most important antique fair in Italy, moreover numerous are the antiques shops which are open all year round.
In the aretine district there are over 1500 gold factories amoung which worthy of a special mention is the UNO-A-ERRE the biggest in the world.
Many are the special events of which the most important are the "Polifonico" and the "Giostra del Saracino".
Jewelry, antiques and clothing offers visitors to this city convenient purchases.

The Outskirts: Leaving the city a few kilometers from the centre, a green countryside typical Tuscany style expands before your eyes, chosen for many a film location by Italian and foreign directors.