San Giovanni Valdarno is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the province of Arezzo,

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, located in the valley of the Arno River.

History

According to the Italian medieval historian

Giovanni Villani Giovanni Villani (; 1276 or 1280 – 1348)Bartlett (1992), 35. was an Italian banker, official, diplomat and chronicler from Florence who wrote the ''Nuova Cronica'' (''New Chronicles'') on the history of Florence. He was a leading statesman of ...

, the town was founded in 1296, by the

Republic of Florence The Republic of Florence, officially the Florentine Republic ( it, Repubblica Fiorentina, , or ), was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany. The republic originated in 1115, when the Flo ...

. The design of the historic center is based on the organization of Roman cities with a large central piazza from which two main roads run perpendicular to each other. From these two main roads run other secondary streets. The town is the birthplace of the early Renaissance painter Masaccio.

Main sights

* ''Palazzo Pretorio'' or ''Palazzo d'Arnolfo'' (13th century) * Convent of ''San Francesco a Montecarlo''. It houses an ''Incoronation of the Virgin'' by

Neri di Bicci Neri di Bicci (1419–1491) was an Italian painter active in his native Florence. A prolific painter of mainly religious themes, he studied under his father, Bicci di Lorenzo, who had in turn studied under his father, Lorenzo di Bicci. The thr ...

(1472–1475) * Basilica of ''Santa Maria delle Grazie'' (built in 1484, but with a 19th-century Neoclassical façade). Its museum houses

Beato Angelico Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; February 18, 1455) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Vasari in his ''Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent". Giorgio Vasari, ''Lives of the Artists''. Pengu ...

's '' Annunciation''. * Church of ''San Lorenzo'' (early 14th century)

Sister cities

* Mahbes, Western Sahara * Corning, USA

References

Cities and towns in Tuscany {{Arezzo-geo-stub