Renaissance frescoes, medieval jousting, Etruscan ruins & the world's greatest antique fair
Arezzo packs a startling amount of history and culture into its compact hilltop centro storico. This is a city where you can stand before one of the supreme masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance in the morning, browse 500 antique stalls over lunch, walk the ramparts of a Medici fortress in the afternoon, and eat a Chianina steak in a trattoria that has barely changed since the 1960s. All without fighting through the tourist crowds of Florence or Siena.
Here is a comprehensive guide to the best things to do in Arezzo. For when to visit and what to eat, see our companion guides. And when you book your eco hotel in Arezzo through IMPT, 1 tonne of CO₂ is removed from the atmosphere — at the same price as Booking.com.
The fresco cycle in the Cappella Maggiore of the Basilica di San Francesco is the single most important reason to visit Arezzo. Painted by Piero della Francesca between approximately 1452 and 1466, The Legend of the True Cross tells the story of the wood from which Christ's cross was made, from the death of Adam to the Emperor Heraclius returning the relic to Jerusalem.
The frescoes are remarkable for their monumental calm, their geometric precision, and their extraordinary use of light and colour. The Dream of Constantine panel — showing the emperor asleep in his tent, illuminated by an angel — is one of the first true nocturnal scenes in Western art. The Battle of Heraclius and Chosroes is a dense, choreographed composition of horses, lances, and soldiers that influenced painters for centuries.
Access is by timed ticket only (25 people per 30-minute slot). Book ahead through the Basilica's website, especially between April and October. The experience is intimate and unhurried — a world away from the crowds at the Uffizi.
Arezzo's main square is unlike any other piazza in Italy. It slopes dramatically, which gives it a dynamic, almost cinematic quality — fitting, since Roberto Benigni used it as a key location in La Vita è Bella (Life is Beautiful). The square is framed on one side by Giorgio Vasari's elegant Logge del Vasari (1573), on another by the Romanesque apse of the Pieve di Santa Maria, and on a third by the Gothic Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici with its astronomical clock.
Piazza Grande is at its most magnificent during the monthly Fiera Antiquaria (antique fair), when stalls fill the entire space, and during the Giostra del Saracino, when it transforms into a medieval jousting arena.
Founded in 1968 by Ivan Bruschi, the Fiera Antiquaria is Italy's oldest and largest antique fair. It takes place on the first Sunday of every month (plus the preceding Saturday) and draws over 500 dealers from across Italy. Stalls spread from Piazza Grande through Corso Italia, Via Cavour, and the surrounding streets.
You will find everything from 17th-century walnut furniture to Art Deco lamps, vintage Murano glass, old maps and prints, ecclesiastical silverware, mid-century ceramics, and boxes of miscellaneous curiosities priced from a few euros upward. Arrive early (before 9 a.m.) for the best selection. Haggling is expected, though not aggressive — a polite inquiry about the "best price" is standard.
Arezzo's medieval jousting tournament is one of the most spectacular recurring events in Italy. Held twice yearly — on the penultimate Saturday in June and the first Sunday in September — it pits the city's four quartieri against each other. Horsemen in full historical costume gallop at speed across Piazza Grande and strike a wooden effigy of a Saracen warrior with their lances. The Saracen's shield swings on impact and can strike back — adding genuine danger and drama.
The build-up is as thrilling as the joust itself: a procession of over 300 costumed participants through the streets, with flag-throwers (sbandieratori), drummers, and trumpeters. The quartieri — Porta Crucifera, Porta del Foro, Porta Sant'Andrea, and Porta Santo Spirito — compete with fierce local pride. Tickets for the stands in Piazza Grande sell out weeks ahead.
This small Gothic church on the northern edge of the old town contains a masterpiece that altered the course of art history. The painted crucifix by Cimabue (c. 1268–71), mounted above the high altar, is one of the earliest works to break from the rigid Byzantine tradition and introduce naturalistic emotion and volume into religious painting. Cimabue was Giotto's teacher, and this work — with its delicate modelling of Christ's body and the pathos of the downturned head — anticipates the revolution his pupil would complete.
The church is quiet, uncrowded, and free to enter. Stand beneath the crucifix and look up — the effect is powerful and moving.
Arezzo's Duomo was built between the 13th and 16th centuries on the highest point of the hill. Inside, look for the fresco of Mary Magdalene by Piero della Francesca (on the left wall of the nave) — a serene, monumental figure that exemplifies the artist's genius for calm grandeur. The stained-glass windows by Guillaume de Marcillat (early 16th century) are among the finest in Italy, rivalling those of the great French cathedrals in their richness of colour.
The tomb of Bishop Guido Tarlati, with its carved panels depicting scenes from his life, is a fascinating piece of medieval political propaganda. The cathedral is free to enter.
The Medici fortress crowns the highest point of Arezzo, built in the 1530s–40s after Cosimo I de' Medici conquered the city. The star-shaped fortification is now a public park, and its massive ramparts offer panoramic views across the Val di Chiana to the south, the Casentino forests to the north, and on clear days, all the way to the Apennine peaks.
Below the fortress, Il Prato is a wide green esplanade — Arezzo's favourite spot for an evening passeggiata. It connects to the cathedral via shady paths, making it a natural extension of any old-town walk. In summer, the Fortezza hosts open-air concerts and cinema screenings.
The remains of the 2nd-century AD amphitheatre sit in the southern part of the old town, alongside the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Gaio Cilnio Mecenate. The museum — named after Gaius Maecenas, the famous patron of Virgil and Horace, who was born in Arezzo — houses an outstanding collection of Etruscan and Roman artefacts, including the city's renowned coral-ware pottery (ceramica aretina), which was exported across the Roman Empire.
The amphitheatre itself is partially excavated and atmospheric — a reminder that Arezzo was a major Roman city (Arretium) centuries before the Renaissance.
The traditional birthplace of Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch, 1304–1374), the poet and scholar considered the father of Humanism. The building on Via dell'Orto was rebuilt after World War II damage but houses a small museum and cultural centre dedicated to Petrarch's life and work. It is a quiet, reflective stop for anyone interested in the roots of the Renaissance.
Roberto Benigni's La Vita è Bella (1997) was filmed extensively in Arezzo, and walking the locations adds a bittersweet layer to any visit. Piazza Grande features prominently in the opening sequences. The scene where Guido rides through the streets on a bicycle was shot along Via Cavour and Corso Italia. The bookshop featured in the film was located near the Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici.
The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor for Benigni. No formal film trail exists, but the locations are all within a few hundred metres of each other in the centro storico — simply walking the old town will place you in scene after recognisable scene.
A beautiful hilltop town overlooking Lake Trasimeno, famous as the setting of Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun. The Etruscan Academy Museum (MAEC) holds remarkable artefacts, and the views from Piazza Garibaldi are unforgettable. Reachable by train (Camucia-Cortona station) or car.
The birthplace of Piero della Francesca, where his extraordinary Resurrection fresco hangs in the Museo Civico. Aldous Huxley called it "the greatest painting in the world." The town itself is a quiet, handsome walled settlement in the upper Tiber valley.
A medieval walled village perched above the Tiber valley, famous as the site of the 1440 Battle of Anghiari — the subject of a lost mural by Leonardo da Vinci. The village is tiny, photogenic, and deeply peaceful. Combine it with Sansepolcro for a full day.
The great Gothic rival to Florence, with Piazza del Campo, the Duomo, and the Palio horse race. An easy day trip by car (about 1 hour) or bus.
Two to three days is ideal. One full day covers the centro storico highlights (Piero della Francesca frescoes, Piazza Grande, Cathedral, San Domenico). A second day allows for the Roman amphitheatre, Fortezza Medicea, and deeper exploration. A third day opens up day trips to Cortona, Sansepolcro, or Anghiari.
Visits to the Legend of the True Cross frescoes in the Basilica di San Francesco require timed tickets, limited to 25 people per 30-minute slot. In peak season (April–October), booking at least a few days ahead is strongly recommended. In winter you can often get same-day tickets, but it's safer to reserve.
Roberto Benigni's La Vita è Bella (1997) was filmed extensively in Arezzo's centro storico. Key locations include Piazza Grande, Via Cavour, Corso Italia, and the area around the Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici. The scenes where Guido rides the bicycle through the streets and the bookshop sequences are particularly recognisable.