Visit Arezzo in the footsteps on the moving Academy Award-winning film "Life is Beautiful" by Roberto Benigni (1997).
Take the advice from the protagonist Guido, as he passes through Piazza Grande with his friend Ferruccio: “Look at this, look over there”.
The stunning Piazza Grande is exactly where our tour starts: a downward sloping square encompassed by architectural treasures, like Palazzo della Fraternità dei Laici and Palazzo Lappoli. Piazza Grande is the set of several scenes in the movie, including the iconic family bicycle ride through the square.
Take a stroll under the arcades of the Logge Vasari, built by the celebrated Tuscan architect, like Guido and Dora do during their night of "miraculous events", soliciting keys from the sky and hats from thin air.
From Piazza Grande you can take a detour down Via Borgunto, from the southeast corner, to visit Guido’s “negozio ebreo” or “Jewish shop ”- Cartolibreria Orefice - whose windows are adorned in movie memorabilia and posters. Or you can either exit on the north west side of the square and walk to the Cattedrale dei Santi Donato e Pietro, there where romance blossoms during a thunderstorm, as Guido rolled out a red carpet for his principessa.
Luckily you don’t have to wait for the rain to truly experience Arezzo in all its film glory!
Head to Via Cavour for some more Oscar magic and visit Basilica of San Francesco and Badia delle Sante Fiora e Lucilla, following in the footsteps of the couple walking carefree through the streets of Arezzo.
Along the same street, pop into Caffé dei Costanti, the bar featured in the film, whose window displays the ban on entry to "jews and dogs", one of the first clues as to how the comedy is about to turn into tragedy.
Finish your beautiful day in Arezzo with a visit to Teatro Petrarca, to catch a show, or to scour the auditorium for the seat from which Guido looks towards the boxes and tries, with the power of his mind, to convince his principessa to turn her eyes in his direction.
