A Day-Long Pilgrimage to Piero della Francesca’s “The Resurrection”

The travel writer set out from Florence at 8:30 a.m. to reach Sansepolcro, the eastern Tuscan town that houses Piero della Francesca’s 15th-century fresco “The Resurrection.” The trip was planned as an all-day excursion, with an intended return to Florence by 6:30 p.m. for an evening of Negronis. The itinerary formed part of a broader loop that included several of the master’s works across the region.

New York Times

Piero della Francesca, an early Renaissance painter, is sparsely represented in Florence’s major museums. The Uffizi Gallery holds only two small portraits—those of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino.

New York Times

According to the author of the travel account, the entire loop covering the four sites spanned roughly 140 miles. The day began with the early departure, continued with visits to the frescoes in Monterchi and Arezzo, and concluded with the centerpiece in Sansepolcro before the scheduled return to Florence.

New York Times

The journey underscores the limited accessibility of Piero’s works within Florence itself, prompting enthusiasts to venture into the surrounding Tuscan towns. By tracing the artist’s dispersed oeuvre, travelers gain a fuller appreciation of his contribution to early Renaissance art, particularly the spatial mastery evident in “The Resurrection.” The excursion also illustrates how literary endorsements—such as Huxley’s celebrated, if self-contradictory, appraisal—continue to shape modern pilgrimage to historic artworks.

New York Times