Holiday apartment in Quarata: Leonardo, the Arno and history

Quarata between hills, the Arno and the past

Quarata is also known as S. Andrea. A hill dominates the village; on it, you can see the irregular mass of the houses of the old castle. Leonardo da Vinci depicted and identified the castle of Quarata in the Windsor maps RL 12278 and RL 12682. For you, this connection between the townscape and art history makes the place an interesting choice if you would like to combine a holiday apartment in Quarata with a history-focused travel programme.

Water connections between the Arno and the Chiana

The castle of Quarata was located near the Arno and Ponte Buriano. A small peat mine in Quarata was situated at the confluence of the Chiana and the Arno and was in operation in the early 20th century. At the same time, Quarata in the Basso Casentino is one of the sites associated with the veneration of water at springs and spring areas. These connections give the place a clear water-related and historical character, bringing the river landscape and local history together.

Artistic traces connected to the river landscape

The Atleta di Quarata dates from the middle of the 5th century BC. The figure depicts an athlete preparing to jump, holding halteres in his hands. The statuette bears a dedication to the river god Klanins, who is equated with the modern-day Chiana. An Etruscan bronze object found in Quarata is kept in Paris at the Bibliothèque Nationale. For travellers interested in culture, this creates an unusually concrete picture of how closely Quarata is connected with ancient ideas about rivers and archaeological finds.

Castle history and Leonardo’s view

The castle of Quarata housed a pilgrim hospice founded in 1433 by Francesco di Andrea Quaratesi; an oratory was attached to it. In addition, some researchers place Leonardo’s viewpoint for the landscape of the Mona Lisa in Quarata, on the Via Setteponti towards Castiglion Fibocchi. If you are planning a cultural holiday with your holiday apartment in Quarata, local history, Renaissance connections and the question of the landscape view therefore come together within a shared theme.

Your holiday apartment in Quarata and planning your days

From Quarata, a route leads across the Arno near the river bend at Buon Riposo to Castelluccio, where the church of San Michele stands. The cycle and pedestrian path between Ripa di Quarata and Arezzo is considered to be lit and protected. When choosing your accommodation, it is therefore worth considering how you would like to structure your days: you can focus your stay more on historic sites, river landscapes or outdoor activities. The different route connections help you plan a trip with a changing pace without reducing Quarata to just one type of excursion.

Discover more places

To compare other places, you can also discover Ranco Di Frassineto, Poggiola, Antria, Ruscello, Indicatore, Rigutino, Chiassa and Molinelli.

For the higher-level travel overview: Arezzo.