Piero di Benedetto de’ Franceschi, known as Piero della Francesca, was born in 1416 in Borgo Sansepolcro and is one of the most representative and extraordinary artists of the Italian Reinassance.

His works are suspended among rationality and aesthetics, art, geometry and a complex system where theological, philosophical and present issues merge. One of the masterpieces of Piero della Francesca, the frescos cycle “The Legend of the true Cross” (still excellently maintained) is inside the main chapel of San Francesco church, called Cappella Bacci, in Arezzo.

The Cappella Bacci frescos represent outdoor, court and battle scenes where the real protagonist is the wood of the cross of Jesus Christ. The night scene, located on the rear wall in the lower right corner, is famous and depicts “The vision of Constantine” in which Piero della Francesca uses the angel in an examplary way as a light source in a scene that would have been completely dark. If you are visiting Arezzo following Piero, you can find another masterpiece inside the Dome: The Maria Magdalen fresco, painted in 1460 on the left nave.