Arezzo and Anghiari

On Saturday we took an excursion to Arezzo and Anghiari. Anghiari is a small, but beautifully rustic town located about 10-12 minutes (by bus) away from Sansepolcro.  It’s placed upon a hill, and looks like a multitude of castles that are strung together.  They are known for their lace, and the quaint, yet very well known linen store, Busatti .   This store’s factory is there, but the stores are located in a few other locations as well.  Ironically, we have made friends with the owner’s son.  His family runs the factory and store in Anghiari. Although Anghiari is  beautiful,  it is COMPLETELY uphill!  Let’s just say my calves look good!

 We were able to go into a small chapel while we were there…I’m not sure of the name right now.  All of the chiesas are so beautiful in Italy. This one had a small pipe organ in the balcony.  In the chiesas, you can light a candle in memory or in honor of someone...you make a small contribution, light the candle, and say a prayer. I said a prayer  and lit one for my mother and father.  We then went to a small museum that opened especially for our group.  It was so interesting!   There were old hearses and tubs where they washed the deceased bodies, along with old sheet music and historical documents of the town. 

Later that day we headed to Arezzo.  But before Arezzo, we had to endure another dreaded and swervy busride.  Out of everything in Italy, the one thing I hate are those damn busrides.   They are  not only nauseating, but  swervy, bumpy, and jerky.  I have done it a total of 8 times now (as of June 1), and it has not gotten any better!

Once we arrived in Arezzo, we took our long awaited picture with Guido of Arezzo.  For you kids who don’t know Guido,  you don’t know what you’re missing.  Guido created solfege  (ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la).  Yeah, we were geeks and all took a picture!  Dr. Lynch and Dr. Vaglio would have been proud!  The main square of Arezzo is beautiful!  In fact, it is where the movie “Life is Beautiful” was filmed.  We ate in a quaint little restruint near the square that had the most  amazing white wine I had ever tasted.   Now, for those of you who know me quite well, you know I love beer.  This wine was up there with some of my favorite beers!  Later that day, we went to Piero della Francesa’s Legends of the True Cross.  The colors were breathtakingly beautiful.  There are two types of restoration: to take off the grime and cement  that hid it for so long and then fill in the blanks OR to take off the grime and leave it as is.  The restoration team on these frescos left is as is, and I was amazed at how all the colors had been preserved  so perfectly.  Piero is famous for portraying biblical scenes with elements of his homeland and period.  For instance, one of the cities in the background of his fresco was Sansepolcro. Although  Arezzo was interesting, but I was ready to get back to Sansepolcro.

It’s kind of odd that I am beginning to call Sansepolcro home.  Of course it’s not my home where I grew up, but it feels like a home.  It’s comforting, warm, and bright.  I don’t want to imagine leaving it for good.  Speaking of “home,” I can’t wait to get back there tomorrow.  I’m in a hostel in St. Agnello, as I am typing this,  and I can’t wait to see my window sill in Sansepolcro!   But Sorrento, Naples, St. Agnello, Capri and Pompeii are other stores…I’ll explain soon, I  promise. 

Ciao!