Towards the end of last century Linda and I saw a movie – either with Scotty  or on his recommendation – Life is Beautiful. The plot is partly a biography of the father of the main actor, Roberto Benigni . The story was set in 1930’s- 1945 and is of an Italian Jew who was sent to an extermination camp with his family, but who is determined to keep his son alive.  It is a wonderful movie, one that won a large number of awards.  Most of the filming was done in a beautiful city called Arezzo. Yesterday we went to Arezzo.

The town has about 100,000 inhabitants and is about 1hr south of Florence by train.  It is one of the major Etruscan hilltop towns, the Etruscans predate the Romans and give Tuscany its name of course.  There are still remains of Etruscan walls in the town.  The town went through such a period of economic decline after the mid 16th century that not much in the centre was touched- and so it is still stunning.  It was also one of the cities aligned with Siena when Siena was a republic.  Florence and this part of Italy were at war for centuries without the Florentines having much luck in the invasion-of-their-near-neighbourhood project.

However in 1555 Philip of France owed so much money to Florence, originally borrowed from Cosimo de’ Medici, that he invaded and captured Siena, Arezzo and the rest, then sold it to the Medicis to help pay off his debt.  The Sienese and the Inhabitants of Arezzo STILL hate Florentines and French with a passion.  In another 500 years they may be able to begin the first tentative steps toward reconciliation.

The cathedral is beautiful.  I was brought up going to Congregational churches, – no hierarchy, no permanent officials, women in every role, very simple buildings.  This church wasn’t anything like that. It does have a plaque in memory of some members of the congregation who converted from Judaism, but were burned at the stake anyway – antisemitism goes back centuries in this part of the world.  They still run a tournament in Arezzo each Summer that features local ‘Knights’  from each of the major churches on real horses in competition to knock down a ‘Saracen’.  The festival finishes with a bonfire that burns figures representing a Saracen king and a Jewish moneylender.  Long memories.  I’m glad the locals here never had a problem with my Rosewood people.

There is also a Marconi museum in the town. The museum has the radio set that was set up on the local coastline that helped transmit the distress call from the Titanic, and one from the ship that went to the liner’s aid.  I know Marconi won the Nobel Prize for physics, I understand the countless lives saved by his invention.  But Marconi was a fanatical Fascist – Mussolini was best man at his wedding.  I think a better festival  for Arezzo would be an annual screening of Life is Beautiful, followed by knights jousting at a Mussolini figure.  I’d go to see that one, except it could take another 500 years –  and we leave for Turkey tomorrow.

Would we go back to Arezzo?  Linda has already looked up apartments in town.  It has great food, great coffee and 2500 yrs of history to be explored.  I’m already looking forward to that trip.