Basilica of San Francesco, Arezzo

The Basilica of San Francesco in Arezzo is a 13th-century Franciscan church whose fame rests almost entirely on one thing: Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle The Legend of the True Cross, painted between 1452 and 1466 in the main chapel. The cycle traces the mythical history of the wood used for Christ's cross, from Adam's death through Emperor Heraclius's return of the relic to Jerusalem.

Piero took over the commission after the original painter, Bicci di Lorenzo, died in 1452. The frescoes are considered among the greatest achievements of Renaissance painting, combining geometric clarity with an almost dreamlike stillness. A careful restoration completed in 2000 revealed colors that had been hidden under centuries of grime. Visits to the chapel require timed reservations due to the fragility of the frescoes.