Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, architect, writer and historian probably most well-known today for his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects which remains an important (if warily used) resource in art historical study of roughly contemporaneous artists' lives. Vasari was born in Arezzo, Tuscany and one of his homes still stands there today, organised and decorated by the man himself. For any art historian or enthusiast worth their salt, its a must-see, not only due to who lived there but also because of the artworks set within a Renaissance home, the frescoes and décor (though not all of the furniture). Find a luxury villa in Arezzo and drop by.
Situated in Via Venti Settembre, near Piazza San Domenico, Casa Vasari is a typical Tuscan Mannerist palazzo. Vasari settled down back in his hometown around 1540, bought a home and set about decorating the house and having it frescoed. Work was finished in 1548 and the house was comprised of two floors and a small garden. Though it was enlarged in the nineteenth century, much of what Vasari built remains. He never settled there properly, however, as he continued to take work both in Florence and Rome.
The house remained a private residence until the twentieth century and was taken over by the city of Arezzo and opened as a museum in 1955.
The house remained a private residence until the twentieth century and was taken over by the city of Arezzo and opened as a museum in 1955.
It now houses a museum to Vasari, preserving the building and its contents, and an archive. It is also home to the original manuscript of his Lives and important correspondence between Vasari and Michelangelo, Pius V and Cosimo I.
One of the most unique elements of the whole building and museum are the frescoes which Vasari painted himself, alongside his assistants and apprentices. The rooms are named after the schemes inside them, the "Room of Arts and Fame", "Room of the Fireplace/Zaballi's Room" and "Room of Apollo and the Muses".
The latter contains a beautiful fresco of Vasari's wife and there is a self-portrait of Vasari reading at a window in the "Zaballi's Room". Other highlights include the playful fresco of “Virtue, Envy, and Fortune” in which the three virtues jostle for top position and painted so that each figure appears to be prominent when viewed from different angles. One room houses portraits of Michelangelo, Adrea del Sarto, and other notable contemporaries, surrounding himself with the cultural greats of his day.
The original furnishings are no longer all in place, but part of the gardens remains, and the whole house gives us a glimpse into Vasari's life and cultured Renaissance lifestyles. Furthermore, the Painting Gallery has seen the museum acquire and curate a wonderful collection of other works by Vasari as well as some of his contemporaries. If you ever find yourself in Arezzo, be sure to stop by. Entry is just €2.00 with reduced rates for students and free entry for those under 18 and over 65 and opening hours are lengthy with the museum only being closed on Tuesdays.
One of the most unique elements of the whole building and museum are the frescoes which Vasari painted himself, alongside his assistants and apprentices. The rooms are named after the schemes inside them, the "Room of Arts and Fame", "Room of the Fireplace/Zaballi's Room" and "Room of Apollo and the Muses".
The latter contains a beautiful fresco of Vasari's wife and there is a self-portrait of Vasari reading at a window in the "Zaballi's Room". Other highlights include the playful fresco of “Virtue, Envy, and Fortune” in which the three virtues jostle for top position and painted so that each figure appears to be prominent when viewed from different angles. One room houses portraits of Michelangelo, Adrea del Sarto, and other notable contemporaries, surrounding himself with the cultural greats of his day.
The original furnishings are no longer all in place, but part of the gardens remains, and the whole house gives us a glimpse into Vasari's life and cultured Renaissance lifestyles. Furthermore, the Painting Gallery has seen the museum acquire and curate a wonderful collection of other works by Vasari as well as some of his contemporaries. If you ever find yourself in Arezzo, be sure to stop by. Entry is just €2.00 with reduced rates for students and free entry for those under 18 and over 65 and opening hours are lengthy with the museum only being closed on Tuesdays.
Photo credits
picture 1: Combusken / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Combusken / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: Ввласенко / CC BY-SA 3.0
picture 1: Combusken / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Combusken / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: Ввласенко / CC BY-SA 3.0
