Things to Do in Arezzo: A Guide to Tuscany’s Best Kept Secret

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Most visitors to Tuscany head straight to Florence or Siena. Arezzo sits quietly between them, a city of medieval towers, Renaissance art, and antique markets that draws a fraction of the tourist crowds. If you want a genuine Tuscan experience without the queues and the crowds, Arezzo belongs on your Italy itinerary.

Arezzo is the capital of its own province, sits in the upper Arno valley, and offers everything you would expect from a major Tuscan city — world-class art, excellent food, well-preserved historic streets — but at a pace that feels human. The city is also a practical base for day trips to Cortona, Sansepolcro, and the eastern edge of Chianti wine country.

What to See in Arezzo

Arezzo has several unmissable sights. Spend at least a full day in the city before heading out to explore the surrounding countryside.

Piazza Grande

Piazza Grande is the heart of Arezzo. It slopes gently from one end to the other, surrounded by porticoed palaces, medieval towers, and the distinctive striped facade of the Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici. The square is beautiful at any time, but on the first Sunday of every month it hosts one of Italy’s most famous antique markets. Dealers from across the country set up stalls across the piazza. If you are visiting in late August or early September, the Giostra del Saracino — a medieval joust — takes place here, with riders in full costume competing for their neighbourhood.

The Bacci Chapel and Piero della Francesca’s Frescoes

The Basilica of San Francesco contains one of Italy’s great art treasures. Piero della Francesca painted the Legend of the True Cross across the walls of the Bacci Chapel in the mid-15th century. The cycle of frescoes tells the story of the wood of the Cross from its origins as a branch of the Tree of Knowledge through the discovery of the Cross by Saint Helena. The colours remain extraordinary — deep blues, soft pinks, warm ochres — and the spatial composition shows why Piero della Francesca is considered one of the most important painters of the Italian Renaissance.

Visits to the chapel are by timed reservation. Book in advance through the official booking website. Numbers in the chapel are strictly limited to protect the frescoes.

Arezzo Cathedral

The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Donatus stands at the highest point of the old town. Construction started in the 13th century and continued for several hundred years. The interior holds important works of art including a fresco of Mary Magdalene by Piero della Francesca, stained glass windows by Guillaume de Marcillat, and the tomb of Bishop Guido Tarlati, a masterpiece of Italian Gothic sculpture. The cathedral is free to enter and rarely crowded.

The Roman Amphitheatre and National Museum

Just outside the old town centre, the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre date back to the 1st and 2nd centuries. The amphitheatre once held around 8,000 spectators. Today the site is partially excavated and free to walk around. The adjacent National Archaeology Museum displays an outstanding collection of Aretine ware — the red-glazed pottery that Arezzo exported across the Roman Empire. Workshops in Arezzo produced pottery for markets from Britain to the Middle East between roughly 30 BC and AD 100.

Giorgio Vasari’s House

Giorgio Vasari was born in Arezzo in 1511 and is best known today as the author of Lives of the Artists, the biographical collection that remains one of the most important sources of information about Renaissance painters and sculptors. He was also a talented painter and architect in his own right. His family home on Via XX Settembre is now a museum. Vasari decorated the rooms with intricate frescoes celebrating figures from Antiquity and the Renaissance, and the house gives a vivid impression of a cultured 16th-century Tuscan interior.

The Antique Market

If your visit coincides with the first Sunday of the month, the antique market transforms Piazza Grande and the surrounding streets into one of Italy’s great browsing experiences. Around 500 dealers attend. You can find 19th-century furniture, vintage prints, old ceramics, jewellery, books, and curiosities of every kind. Prices are genuine — serious antique dealers work this market — and if you have room in your luggage, it is the kind of place where you find things you did not know you were looking for.

Where to Eat in Arezzo

Arezzo sits in a part of Tuscany where eating well is taken seriously. The city and its province have their own strong food traditions, and the local restaurants are a welcome step away from the tourist menus you find in more heavily visited Tuscan towns.

What to Order

The Aretine kitchen leans heavily on meat, legumes, and locally grown vegetables. Pasta al ragù here uses a slow-cooked meat sauce quite different from the Bolognese version. Pappardelle al cinghiale — broad pasta ribbons with wild boar sauce — is a Tuscan staple and appears on most menus. Ribollita, the thick bean and bread soup that defines Tuscan winter cooking, is excellent in this part of the region. Locals tend to eat their main meal at lunchtime, and the midday service in neighbourhood restaurants and trattorie is where you eat best at the best prices.

The Markets

Arezzo’s food market runs in Piazza Sant’Agostino on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. Producers from the surrounding countryside bring vegetables, cheese, cured meats, bread, and seasonal produce. For wine, the province of Arezzo includes part of the Chianti wine zone, along with the DOC zones of Valdarno di Sopra and Cortona. Local wine shops stock a wide range of bottles from these zones at prices well below what you would pay for the same wines in Florence or in shops abroad.

Getting to Arezzo

Arezzo is easy to reach from Florence and Rome, which makes it an excellent day trip or an overnight stop on a broader Tuscany itinerary.

By Train

Trains on the main Florence to Rome line stop at Arezzo. From Florence Santa Maria Novella, the journey takes between 35 and 50 minutes depending on the service. From Rome Termini, express trains reach Arezzo in about 1 hour and 50 minutes. The train station sits just below the old town. From the station, the walk up to Piazza Grande takes around 15 minutes on foot, or you can take local buses that connect the station to the centre.

By Car

Arezzo sits just off the A1 motorway between Florence and Rome. Driving is the best option if you plan to explore the province — the Valdarno, the Casentino valley, and the roads towards Cortona and the Val di Chiana are all worth exploring by car. The old town itself is largely pedestrianised, so park at one of the car parks outside the walls and walk in.

Day Trips from Arezzo

Arezzo sits at the centre of one of Tuscany’s most rewarding areas for day trips. Several towns within an hour’s drive deserve a visit in their own right.

Cortona

Cortona perches on a steep hillside above the Val di Chiana, about 30 kilometres from Arezzo. The town is compact, well-preserved, and offers views across the valley to Lake Trasimeno and the Umbrian hills beyond. The Museo Diocesano in Cortona holds an important collection of art including an Annunciation by Fra Angelico. The town itself became internationally known after Frances Mayes published Under the Tuscan Sun, set in her farmhouse nearby, but Cortona is worth visiting on its own terms entirely apart from any literary connection.

Sansepolcro

Sansepolcro was the birthplace of Piero della Francesca and holds what many art historians consider his greatest work — the Resurrection, a large fresco in the Museo Civico. Aldous Huxley once called it the greatest painting in the world. Whether or not you agree, the painting — showing Christ rising from his tomb while soldiers sleep beneath him — is a genuinely powerful experience. The town itself is pleasant and unvisited, a quieter counterpart to Arezzo for those who want to follow the Piero della Francesca trail through eastern Tuscany.

The Casentino Valley

North of Arezzo, the Casentino is a broad, forested valley that runs up towards the source of the Arno. The valley is dotted with medieval castles, Romanesque churches, and small towns that see almost no tourists. The monastery of La Verna, where Saint Francis of Assisi received the stigmata in 1224, sits in the forests high above the valley floor and is still an active Franciscan community. The National Park of the Casentino Forests is one of the largest remaining areas of old-growth forest in the Apennines, excellent for walking in spring and autumn.

When to Visit Arezzo

Spring and autumn are the best times to visit Arezzo and the surrounding area. April to June and September to October bring mild temperatures, clear skies, and manageable visitor numbers. July and August are hot — temperatures in the Arno valley can exceed 35°C — and while Arezzo is much quieter than Florence in summer, the heat makes sightseeing in the middle of the day uncomfortable.

The most dramatic time to visit is in early September, when the Giostra del Saracino takes place on the first Saturday and Sunday of the month. The joust is one of Tuscany’s most atmospheric medieval festivals, with the four city districts competing in a jousting competition that dates back to the 13th century.

Where to Stay in Arezzo

Arezzo has a range of accommodation options from small boutique hotels in the historic centre to larger hotels near the train station. Staying in the old town puts you within walking distance of all the main sights. If you are planning to use Arezzo as a base for driving through the surrounding countryside, a hotel with parking or easy access to the ring road is worth looking for. The area also has several agriturismo properties — working farms offering accommodation — within easy driving distance of the city. These give a quieter alternative to staying in the city itself and are often better value for the level of comfort provided.

Frequently Asked Questions About Arezzo

Is Arezzo worth visiting as a day trip from Florence?

Yes. Arezzo is only 35 to 50 minutes from Florence by train and offers a very different experience — quieter streets, fewer tourists, and impressive art and architecture in its own right. The Piero della Francesca frescoes in the Basilica of San Francesco are a genuinely significant reason to visit, and the city is pleasant to walk around even without a specific agenda.

What is Arezzo famous for?

Arezzo is famous for its Renaissance frescoes by Piero della Francesca, its monthly antique market in Piazza Grande, its medieval joust (Giostra del Saracino), and its history as an important Etruscan and Roman city. It was also the birthplace of Petrarch, the 14th-century poet who developed the sonnet form, and of Giorgio Vasari, the Renaissance artist and biographer.

How long do you need in Arezzo?

A full day is enough to see the main sights in Arezzo itself — Piazza Grande, the Bacci Chapel, the cathedral, and a walk through the old streets. Two days allows you to visit one or two of the surrounding towns, such as Cortona or Sansepolcro. If you are using Arezzo as a base for exploring the wider province, three or four nights is comfortable.

Do you need to speak Italian to visit Arezzo?

No. English is spoken at hotels, at the main visitor attractions, and in most restaurants that see regular tourists. That said, Arezzo is less geared towards international visitors than Florence or Rome, and a few basic Italian words will be useful and appreciated when eating in local trattorie or shopping at the market.

Is Arezzo expensive compared to Florence?

Arezzo is noticeably less expensive than Florence for accommodation, meals, and admission to sights. Restaurants aimed at local rather than tourist trade offer excellent value. Hotel prices are lower than comparable accommodation in Florence for the same level of comfort. The main sight that requires booking — the Bacci Chapel — charges a modest admission fee.

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Plan Your Italy Trip

Thinking about visiting Arezzo or exploring more of Tuscany? The Ultimate Italy Travel Guide covers everything you need to plan your trip, from when to go to how to get around between cities and towns.

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