Provincial Road SP 73 leads from Sansepolcro to Arezzo in 35 kilometres, ancient town es-tablished by Etrurian people, untouched inside the walls and rich of remarkable monuments.
For those who long to dedicate themselves to the masterpieces of Piero della Francesca in this town, we suggest starting the visit from the upper side of the town, that is from the Medici's Fortress by the Prato, commanding a view of the Casentino and on the gothic apse of the majestic Cathedral. Inside the church there is the first Piero's work: a painting entitled "Maddalena" represents the blue sky background framed by an architrave.
Then descend toward St Maria della Pieve, one of the most impressive Romanesque building in Tuscany: the facade is decorated by arches and small loggias; the apse composes harmoniously the different styles present in town: medieval towers and houses, timber galleries, Renaissance loggias, etc., make out of the irregular Piazza Grande one of the most evocative squares in Italy. On the first Sunday of the month, the antiques market takes place in the square.
But the most important building is the close Church of St Francesco, where Piero painted a series of frescoes in 14 years of work: the Legend of the Cross ("Leggenda della Croce") is a sym-phony of colours. Piero's amazing expressive power is unrivalled in fine arts. Long restoration works have brought back them to their original beauty.