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Monterchi, the town centre is built on a hill about 356 metres above sea level and resembles an island in the centre of the valley

Monterchi - The town centre is built on a hill about 356 metres above sea level and resembles an island in the centre of the valley.

The first document that mentions Monterchi dates back to 1095. Following the famous Battle of Anghiari (1440) the town came under the rule of Florence and later in 1643 under the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

The streets of the centre, such as Via dei Medici or Via della Misericordia, are charming with beautiful buildings, like Palazzo Massi with its castellated decoration, which recall the period of the XVI century.

Piero della Francesca's Madonna del Parto is to be found here: one of the most important Renaissance works of art, originally in the cemetery chapel; now following recent restoration it has been placed in a former school building.

Where is Monterchi: is located in the west of Arezzo province, on the border with Umbria. The medieval village stands on a spot which in Etrusco-Roman times was dedicated to the cult of Hercules. Monterchi is very well known for the greatly-prized fresco of the "Madonna del Parto" by Piero della Francesca. This famous 15th century fresco, discovered only a century ago and recently restored, is in the Chapel of S. Maria di Momentana, near the little cemetery. Other interesting works of art to be seen in the parish church of San Simeone. Monterchi, founded around 1200, belonged to the Marchesi del Monte of S. Maria Tiberina; first it passed under the Commune of Arezzo, then to the Tarlati family and finally into Florentine rule.

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