The Battle of Anghiari (1440) — a Florentine victory over Milan — was the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's lost mural in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The painting was never completed and has never been found (it may survive under Vasari's frescoes — the search continues). The town where it happened is a steep medieval borgo on a ridge above the upper Tiber valley, with stone walls, a 13th-century Palazzo Pretorio, and an artisan tradition of hand-made furniture (the Bottega Artigiana — workshops along Via Garibaldi) that produces Renaissance-quality restoration pieces. The view from the ramparts extends across the Tiber valley to Sansepolcro (Piero della Francesca's birthplace, 8km) and the Apennines behind. Tuscany →
Plan my Tuscany trip →The centro storico: Enter through the medieval gate and climb — Via Garibaldi rises steeply through the town, with artisan workshops (furniture, restoration, weaving) in the ground-floor botteghe. Museo della Battaglia e di Anghiari: The battle history, copies of Leonardo's preparatory studies, and the ongoing search for the lost mural. €4. Palazzo Pretorio: 13th century, coats of arms on the facade. Chiesa di Badia: Romanesque, with a 14th-century Last Supper fresco. The walls: Walk the perimeter for Tiber valley panoramas — Sansepolcro is visible across the plain.
Getting there: car from Arezzo (30min), Sansepolcro (8min), Perugia (1h). Bus from Arezzo. Stay: €50-85/night. Eat: Il Leccio (€25-35), Da Alighiero (€30-40 — Valtiberina cuisine). Combine with: Sansepolcro (8min — Piero della Francesca Resurrection), Monterchi (15min — Piero's Madonna del Parto), Cortona (30min), Arezzo (30min).