National Museum of Mediaeval and Modern Art

Every epoch of Aretine and imported artistry from the Middle Ages to the Macchiaioli is represented in the moderately large, moderately interesting collections here. A room off the ground-floor courtyard has medieval sculptures ranging from 11th-century capitals to 14th-century Madonnas rescued from various town gates and defunct churches. On the first floor are a Byzantine-style 13th-century painting of St. Francis by Margaritone d'Arezzo and an early-Sienese-school Madonna embedded with baubles. The 15th-century frescoes of Spinello Aretino's pupil Giovanni d'Agnolo di Balduccio dominate room 2. In the next room, the master weighs in with a Trinità, accompanied by his son Parri's Sconfitta di Massenzio, a battle scene discovered in the Badia during World War II cleanup. Historic tournament armor is preserved in room 5 in the form of loads of 17th-century weapons of death. There are two paintings by Bartolomeo della Gatta here of St. Roch -- one shows a medieval Arezzo in the background but doesn't reveal that the city is in the throes of the Black Death. This work was part of an offering to the saint begging him to intercede to stop the disease. An ancient pottery center, Arezzo is always ready to appreciate art from outside masters. Its museum has a fine collection of 14th- to 18th-century majolica ceramic works from Faenza, Gubbio (including one precious plate by the famous Mastro Giorgio), and Deruta, along with some Andrea della Robbia terra cottas. The first-floor collections contain Mannerist and baroque canvases by Il Poppi, Empoli, and Salimbeni, plus several by Vasari -- the best is his large, crowded 1548 Supper for the Marriage of Esther. The second floor has a gathering of small Macchiaioli paintings and a pair of Luca Signorelli Madonna with Child paintings (1518-22) but sputters out into insipid baroque pieces.