Arezzo: Experience culture and find hotels

Arezzo is home to the Giostra del Saracino, a distinctive city event, as well as museums and historic architecture; the Cammini di Francesco in Tuscany also passes through Arezzo and can be travelled on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. When choosing where to stay, you can first decide what you would like to focus on: the Giostra del Saracino, art and history, or the Cammini di Francesco in Tuscany. The Museo di Casa Vasari is housed in a building Vasari acquired in 1541 and preserves his archive; the Museo nazionale d'arte medievale e moderna, by contrast, is laid out as a chronological tour.

Giostra del Saracino and Piazza Grande

The Giostra del Saracino is a jousting tournament held twice a year in Piazza Grande. Riders from Arezzo's four districts compete against one another; the modern Giostra was revived in 1931. Check the exact dates of that year's Giostra del Saracino before your arrival.

Piazza Grande is trapezoidal and has a pronounced slope. The Palazzo delle Logge, designed by Giorgio Vasari between 1573 and 1595, also stands on the piazza.

Museums spanning Vasari and chronology

The Museo di Casa Vasari brings together two specific links to Giorgio Vasari: it is housed in a four-storey building that Vasari acquired in 1541, and it preserves the Archivio vasariano. This includes Vasari's correspondence and documents such as the Ricordanze and the Zibaldone.

The Museo nazionale d'arte medievale e moderna covers a different period. It is housed in the historic Palazzo Bruni Ciocchi and comprises 20 rooms. The chronological tour spans from the early Middle Ages to the 19th century. At Casa Vasari, the focus is on Vasari's home and archive; at the Museo nazionale d'arte medievale e moderna, the tour takes you through art chronologically.

Art, views and a longer route

Another artistic highlight is an Annunciation attributed to Luca Signorelli in a basilica in Arezzo. The Fortezza Medicea is considered an exceptional viewpoint and is also a destination for walks, exhibitions and events.

A longer route is another possible focus for your trip: the Cammini di Francesco in Tuscany passes through Arezzo and is almost 300 kilometres long. It can be travelled on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. For the almost 300-kilometre Cammini, plan your route; for a visit to a single museum or historic building, plan around that particular site. As the length, route and conditions may change, check the latest route information before setting out.

Discover more destinations: Palazzo Del Pero, Rigutino, Olmo, Antria, Quarata, Ruscello, Chiassa, Terrarossa, Indicatore, Poggiola, San Firenze-Fonte Di Sala, Ranco Di Frassineto, Molinelli, Ponte Buriano-cincelli.

Back to the main travel overview: Arezzo.