Sighseeing
Badia
The church was built in the 13th century, by the Benedictine monks and was dedicated to Sante Flora e Lucilla. In the mid 16th century, the church had a renaissance architectural refurbishment by the famous Vasari. His job was so excellent, that the church officials took over what the sculptor and his family's tomb was intended to be and moved it here in the high altar of the cathedral. Adorning the altar is another one of Vasari masterpieces - "the Calling of St Peter". The church also features frescoes by Bartolomeo della Gatta. His realistic "face of St. Lawrence" is painted in the trompe L'oleil corner, on the inside entrance wall. Behind the third altar, there is a 14th century crucifix by Bonaventura.
Vasari's house
The home of Giorgio Vasari is worth checking while in town. The artist bought this house in the mid 16th century and decorated it with somewhat ordinary and plain, semi-mannerist fine art. Today, you can see inside works by Il Poppi, Alessandro Allori, Santi di Tito and others. Paintings by Vasari himself also decorate the walls of the house. Some of his best pieces here are a "Deposition" and the "Virtue, Envy and Fortune", painted on the ceiling. The latter has a clever optical illusion - the figure on the top changes its position when viewed from different angles.
Santa Maria della Pieve
The lovely 12th century Santa Maria della Pieve is one of the best examples of the Lombard Romanesque architecture. Its rugged, weather-beaten fa�de is finished in luminous beige stone and decorated with beautiful arcades. Each upper colonnade line narrows in height, thus creating an illusion of bigger height. There are a few carved columns as well as a human telamon in the top line. The large bell tower is called the tower "of the hundred holes", because of its numerous "before" windows. Today, a restoration process takes place in the cathedral's main porch in order to preserve the historic relieves on it. The relieves represent the months of the year, the most interesting being January, with the two-faced god Janus. (From which January derives its name)
San Francesco
The focal point of this magnificent 14th century cathedral is one of the most famous renaissance fresco cycles - Piero della Francesca's Legend of the True Cross. The fresco covers the sanctuary of the cathedral. During the years, it has attracted thousands of pilgrims to the town. P. della Francesca's work is compellingly delicate and shows ideal perspective. The woodenly posed figures express unrivalled depth of emotion. Art critics and scientists describe it as a masterpiece, with an innovative narrative scheme, which was regarded a pioneer of its time. The whole cycle was admirably restored in the late 20th century, and the damages of fires, earthquakes and moisture during the last 500 years are now almost gone. The cathedral is definitely a must-see while in town.
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