Basilica of San Francesco, Arezzo

The Basilica of San Francesco in Arezzo, Tuscany, is a Franciscan church best known for its chapel decorated by Piero della Francesca. The basilica dates to the medieval period and combines Gothic architecture with later interior decoration.

The main highlight is the mid-15th-century fresco cycle The Legend of the True Cross in the Bacci Chapel, a sequence of narrative scenes painted by Piero della Francesca. Visitors generally come to see this cycle and the chapel’s intact pictorial program.

The church was constructed by the Franciscan order in the 13th and 14th centuries and has served as a parish and monastic site; the Bacci Chapel frescoes were commissioned in the 1450s and executed by Piero and his workshop.

Located in the historic centre of Arezzo, the basilica sits near Piazza Grande and is easily reached on foot from the town centre.

• Piero della Francesca frescoes: Houses Piero della Francesca's mid-15th-century fresco cycle 'The Legend of the True Cross', considered a major work of Early Renaissance painting.
• Architectural type: The basilica is Franciscan and retains Gothic architectural elements with a simple nave and side chapels.

What to See #

• Bacci Chapel: The Bacci Chapel contains the celebrated fresco cycle by Piero della Francesca, The Legend of the True Cross, painted in the mid-15th century and occupying the chapel walls.