Things to do in Arezzo
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Arezzo
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is best overall, mild and green, May is arguably the single best month.
Summer brings the June Giostra and heat, with mid August Ferragosto closures.
Autumn is best overall, September Giostra, harvest, porcini, chestnuts and foliage.
Winter is Citta del Natale then the cheapest, quietest and coldest weeks.
What's on
- Giostra del Saracino penultimate Saturday in June
Night joust for patron San Donato in floodlit Piazza Grande.
- Giostra del Saracino first Sunday in September
Afternoon joust in the Piazza Grande between the city's four quarters.
- Fiera Antiquaria first Sunday of the month and the Saturday before
Monthly antiques fair year round, best in spring and autumn.
- Citta del Natale mid-November to 1 January
Christmas market on Piazza Grande with lights, Ferris wheel and Santa house.
- Maggiolata Lucignanese May Sundays
Flower festival in nearby Lucignano, an easy day trip.
- Casentino autumn food sagre October
Porcini and chestnut festivals in the Casentino in autumn.
Best things to do in Arezzo
Basilica di San Francesco
Piero della Francesca fresco cycle in the Bacci Chapel, the essential art stop in Arezzo.
Piazza Grande
Sloping trapezoidal square framed by Vasari Logge, tower houses and the Pieve apse.
Arezzo Cathedral
Gothic cathedral with Marcillat stained glass and Piero della Francesca Mary Magdalene fresco.
Santa Maria della Pieve
Romanesque church with a stacked arcade facade and a polyptych by Pietro Lorenzetti.
Casa Vasari
Giorgio Vasari house decorated with allegorical frescoes by the artist and his workshop.
Fortezza Medicea
Medici fortress gardens and bastions with the classic panorama over Arezzo rooftops.
Museo Archeologico Nazionale Gaio Cilnio Mecenate
Etruscan and Roman museum over the amphitheatre, famous for Arretine pottery.
San Domenico
Plain Gothic church holding an early painted Crucifix attributed to Cimabue.
Where to stay in Arezzo
Upper Historic Centre
first trip, all-round base
Medieval lanes near Piazza Grande and the Duomo, with the best restaurants and sunset at the Fortezza.
Lower Historic Centre
train arrivals and easier walking
Flatter streets near San Francesco, handy for the station and frescoes with strong value hotels.
Just Outside the Walls and First Hills
drivers, families and longer stays
Villa hotels and estates with pools, parking and gardens that the centre cannot offer.
Think twice about
- Station quarter, Piazza della Repubblica
Modern, traffic heavy and dull as a base, emptier at night and away from the hill that is the point of Arezzo.
- SS71 suburban retail zone hotels
Anonymous roadside base where you need a car for every coffee and miss evening Arezzo.
Best restaurants in Arezzo
Antica Osteria l'Agania
Four generation home style Tuscan osteria, the benchmark cheap dinner in Arezzo.
Ristorante Logge Vasari
Refined Tuscan dining inside Vasari Logge overlooking Piazza Grande, known for Chianina.
Le Chiavi d'Oro
Chef led refined modern Tuscan tasting menus on the San Francesco square.
Buca di San Francesco
Historic restaurant in medieval vaults serving classic Aretine dishes and grilled meats.
Trattoria Il Saraceno
Old school trattoria on Via Mazzini, calmer and more bookable than nearby Agania.
Osteria dei Mercanti
Inexpensive proper lunch of pizza, pasta and pici just off Corso Italia.
Teorema del Gusto
Modern cheap eats workhorse used by students, workers and families for quick Italian food.
La Torre di Gnicche
Enoteca style wine first evening with local wines by the glass and Tuscan boards.
Outdoor things to do in Arezzo
Sanctuary of La Verna
Franciscan sanctuary in forest where St Francis received the stigmata, with Monte Penna hike.
Camaldoli
Monastery and hermitage in ancient fir forest, with pharmacy and sacred forest trails.
Casentino Golf Club Arezzo
Terraced 13 hole course above the Casentino valley where accuracy beats power.
Cortona E-Bike Tour
Train to Cortona then e bike through olive groves and Chianina farmland below the walls.
Sentiero della Bonifica
Flat canal cycle path from Arezzo toward Chiusi through farmland, locks and birdlife.
Poppi, Anghiari and Valtiberina Hill-Town Drive
Driving loop of walled hill towns, castles and Piero trail villages east of Arezzo.
Villa La Ripa
Renaissance villa estate outside Arezzo running vineyard tours and tastings.
Pratomagno
Long grassy Apennine ridge with open views to Casentino and the Valdarno plain.
Best hotels in Arezzo
Locanda di San Pier Piccolo
Former Benedictine convent in the upper centre with frescoes and a Tuscan restaurant.
Graziella Patio Hotel
Small luxury hotel in a historic building with 14th century foundations and cellars.
Chiaromanni Suites
Historic centre tower and courtyard apartment suites suited to longer stays and families.
Vogue Hotel Arezzo
Design led hotel with individually furnished rooms in the lower historic centre.
Hotel Continentale
Traditional full service grand hotel at the foot of the medieval town, good for groups.
I Portici Hotel
Boutique historic residence a short walk from the station edge of the centre.
Hotel Cecco
Family hotel since 1892 with a well regarded Tuscan restaurant on Corso Italia.
Hotel L'Aretino
Good value hotel near the station but in the centre, with free supervised parking nearby.
Is Arezzo expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €150 a person |
| Splurge | €350 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Basilica di San Francesco: weeks ahead
- Casa Vasari: weeks ahead
- Private Piero and Vasari Guided Walk: weeks ahead
- Casentino Golf Club Arezzo: a few days ahead
- Cortona E-Bike Tour: a few days ahead
- Villa La Ripa: a few days ahead
- Graziella Patio Hotel: weeks ahead
- Vogue Hotel Arezzo: weeks ahead
- Book the San Francesco Piero fresco timed slot before anything else, and Casa Vasari ahead too.
- Giostra tickets and hotels sell out, book months ahead for June and September jousts.
- Book Logge Vasari, Le Chiavi d'Oro, Buca di San Francesco and La Commendina for weekends.
- Many museums and restaurants close on Mondays, check each venue day.
Is Arezzo safe?
- Pickpockets work dense Fair, Giostra and Christmas crowds, keep bags closed.
- After dark walk lit Corso Italia and Via Cavour instead of cutting through Il Prato park.
- Drive slowly on Casentino forest roads at dusk for deer and wild boar.
- Emergency number is 112.
Arezzo travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Piazza Grande cafes charge for the view, walk to Via Cavour lanes for local prices.
- Fortezza interior is a park and viewpoint, not a furnished castle museum.
- Cortona is the most Americanised hill town in the province, go for e bikes and views.
- Buy gold only from established jewellers with hallmarks and receipts.
Getting around Arezzo: public transport and more
- Arrive by train if you can, the station is a flat 10 minute walk to Corso Italia.
- Walk in town, everything central is within a steep 15 minute walk.
- Drive via the A1 Arezzo exit and park outside the walls, the centre is a ZTL with camera fines.
- Use hotel booked taxis, taxis do not cruise in Arezzo.
Who Arezzo suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | OK |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Arezzo your trip
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