Città Di Sansepolcro

Sansepolcro is located on the border of the Tuscany and Umbria regions of Italy, resting at the foot of the Appennines and situated in the valley of the Tiber river.  Although Sansepolcro lacks the notoriety of Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan, it is nothing less than spectacular. 

Sansepolcro still possesses a distinctive Italian character that is hard to find in the large cities to which tourists tend to flock in droves.  While there will never be droves of tourists descending upon Sansepolcro, there is something magical about this medieval Italian town for those who have gone and experienced life within the city's walls are never quite the same afterwards.

Within its sixteenth-century walls, Sansepolcro contains numerous ancient and beautiful buildings that range from palaces, to museums, to churches, to hotels, restaurants, and shops. 

One of the best places to spend time is the Civic Museum, which is home to many great works of art as well as other valued items. The museum houses several works by Piero della Francesca, the world famous fifteenth-century painter who was born in Sansepolcro. 

The greatest treasure of Sansepolcro, however, is its citizens. The main piazza, or town square, is a hub of local activity where people gather to both relax and conduct business.  A market is held there twice a week where local vendors sell their wares.

One of the best places to meet new acquaintances or to catch up with old friends is the Via Venti Settembre, the main street of Sansepolcro.  Many of the townspeople of Sansepolcro still take a lunchtime or evening stroll, down this street, a long-held practice known as passagiata.  After seeing this tradition take place, one realizes that life truly is about the journey and not the destination.

Sansepolcro provides a wonderful, comfortable, friendly, and safe place to live but there are of course other places of interest to see in Italy.  Nearby towns make great daytrips by bus or train: Città di Castello, Caprese Michelangelo, Monterchi, Anghiari, Pisa, and Siena, to name a few. 

Arezzo, an hour by bus from Sansepolcro, is the best place to hop on a train to head to areas further away.  The time that it takes to travel to some of the most famous places in Italy from Arezzo by train is very reasonable: Florence (1 hour’s time), Rome (2 ½ hours time), and Venice (3 ½ hours time).   Viewing masterpieces at the Uffizi, exploring the Colosseum, or riding a gondola down a canal are thus all within easy reach.  After a day or a long weekend away, returning to Sansepolcro will make you feel as though you have come home. 

For more information on Sansepolcro visit http://sansepolcro-info.com/ or http://www.italianvisits.com/tuscany/sansepolcro/index.htm

Palazzo Alberti

The beautiful and historic Palazzo Alberti is home to Meredith Abroad in Italy. This 16th century palace has been renovated to accommodate Meredith students and faculty as well as our academic program.

Located on the main pedestrian street, the palazzo affords students immediate access to the heart of Sansepolcro. The cathedral, churches, museums, restaurants, and main piazza are all, literally, within a five minutes’ walk from “home.”

Student living spaces, lounges, and dining facilities are on the top floor of the palazzo while classrooms, offices, and a faculty apartment are just below, on the 2nd floor. The grand salon, featuring a newly restored fresco by Cherubino Alberti, will be available to Meredith for special events—and we hope to have a lot of them.

Art work depicting the Palazzo Alberti and Sansepolcro created by Professor Emerita Maureen Banker can be found on her website.  Click here and then select "work" at the bottom of the page you will find a gallery titled "Sansepolcro & Palazzo Alberti"

Pictures of the newly remodeled living spaces at the Palazzo Alberti