With Porta di San Lorentino at your back, your eyes are able to distinguish the imposing silhouette of the Cathedral of San Donato, the Duomo of Arezzo.

The construction works for the gothic sandstone building - preceded by a wide and spectacular staircase decorated with a statue of Ferdinand I de` Medici - began in 1278 and finished three centuries later. The early-20th-century façade was designed by Arezzo architect Dante Viviani.

In the interior is a fresco by Piero della Francesca representing Mary Magdalene; in sunny days, the kaleidoscopic stained glass windows by Guillaume de Marcillat create fascinating plays of light.

Walking along Via Cesalpino, in the shadow of the aristocratic palaces and apartments in the upper part of Arezzo, you reach the Basilica of San Francesco, which dates back to the 14th century.

The apse is decorated with one of the masterpieces of Renaissance arts: the celebrated cycle of frescoes by Piero della Francesca The legend of the true cross (1453-1466).

We cannot conclude our tour of the churches of Arezzo without mentioning the Romanesque Church of Santa Maria (12th century), with its picturesque bell-tower "dalle cento buche" (referring to its 40 double-lancet windows), the Abbey that Andrea Pozzo decorated with a false dome using the "trompe l`œil" technique, and, surrounded by some farmhouses in the outskirts of Arezzo, the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, with its picturesque porch.