Arezzo: Piazza Grande, Museums and Trails

Arezzo between Tournament Tradition and Vasari

Arezzo combines distinctive squares, museums and a vibrant culture of remembrance with an extensive route for pilgrims, hikers and travellers on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. This character is particularly vivid in Piazza Grande, where the Giostra del Saracino is held twice a year as a jousting tournament. The modern Giostra was reintroduced in 1931; riders representing Arezzo’s four city districts compete against one another.

Piazza Grande itself has a trapezoidal shape and a pronounced slope. The Palazzo delle Logge stands on the square and was designed by Giorgio Vasari between 1573 and 1595. Piazza Grande thus brings together the square’s distinctive form and the architectural history of the Palazzo delle Logge.

Museums and Art in Historic Buildings

The Museo di Casa Vasari is housed in a four-storey building that Giorgio Vasari acquired in 1541. The museum preserves the Archivio vasariano, containing Giorgio Vasari’s correspondence. It also includes documents such as the Ricordanze and the Zibaldone. The site thus brings together architecture, personal history and written records in a specific building.

The Museo nazionale d'arte medievale e moderna is housed in the historic Palazzo Bruni Ciocchi. It comprises 20 rooms arranged in a chronological tour from the Early Middle Ages to the 19th century. For your visit, this makes it possible to plan a broad chronological view of medieval and modern art without separating the individual periods from one another.

Sacred art is also part of Arezzo’s cultural landscape: a basilica in Arezzo houses an Annunciation attributed to Luca Signorelli. The attribution remains part of the work’s art-historical classification. Those interested in architecture and painting will therefore find different forms of cultural engagement in Arezzo—from the palace and museum to the basilica.

Trails, Views and Regional Destinations

The Cammini di Francesco in Tuscany includes Arezzo and is nearly 300 kilometres long. You can cover it on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. Its total length and the possible means of travel provide a framework for planning your journey: you can follow the idea of a longer route or consider Arezzo as a specific reference point along this Tuscan trail without having to complete the entire route.

The Fortezza Medicea is considered an exceptional vantage point. In the wider area around Arezzo, there is also Monte San Zio, a mountain. These two destinations complement the densely documented cultural themes with different forms of experiencing the landscape, while their geographical classifications deliberately remain distinct.

Destinations in the Nearby Area

For additional cultural and historical interests, the area around Arezzo offers several independent destinations: Palazzo Cassi is a palace, the Museo Archeologico is a museum and the Anfiteatro Romano Arezzo is an ancient site. Also nearby are Villicana Danielle, a museum, as well as Sandro Pertini and Villa Severi, each a garden. Campo di Marte is a park there.

When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore consider Arezzo according to your preferred travel rhythm: museums, Piazza Grande, Vasari buildings and the basilica favour a culture-oriented stay, while the Cammini di Francesco offers a different perspective on movement and distance. A hotel in Arezzo thus becomes the starting point for your personal selection among art, square culture, views and regional destinations—without these interests having to be experienced in the same way.

Discover More Places

You can explore additional destinations via Palazzo Del Pero, Rigutino, Olmo, Antria, Quarata, Ruscello, Chiassa, Terrarossa, Indicatore, Poggiola, San Firenze-Fonte Di Sala, Ranco Di Frassineto, Molinelli and Ponte Buriano-cincelli.

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Arezzo.