Discover San Giovanni Valdarno

San Giovanni Valdarno is an Italian town of 16 754 inhabitants in the province of Arezzo in Tuscany. It is with great certainty the most representative area of the Upper Valdarno. The urban structure of the historic center recalls the organization of the Roman city, with a large central square from which the two main axes perpendicular to each other depart, from which the secondary roads arise. In the main square stands the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie; it became a pilgrimage destination following miraculous events during the plague of the 1500s. In the same square we can admire Palazzo d'Arnolfo, a thirteenth-century palace that for centuries has been the beating heart of the city; the façade is characterized by over two hundred and fifty coats of arms, which represent the remaining coats of arms of all the vicariates of the city, from the oldest of 1410 to the most recent of 1769. Also interesting are the remains of the medieval walls, which initially had 24 towers to defend the city.