City
Adretio
Arezzo
Listen to the story
Arretium, modern Arezzo in Tuscany, was one of the twelve cities of the Etruscan league, and the Tabula marks it with the usual pair of towers. It stood in a strong position in the upper Arno valley, where fertile valleys meet, and grew wealthy on wine, wheat, metalwork and above all pottery: its red tableware, often decorated with finely made reliefs, was renowned. The architect Vitruvius and the writer Pliny both praised the strength of its walls of clay brick. The Cilnii, the town's leading family, were ancestors of Maecenas, the friend and adviser of Augustus.