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Florence attracts the crowds, Siena is famous for the Palio - and Arezzo? The Tuscan city often remains in the shadow of its famous neighbours, but it has a lot to offer.
Arezzo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Italy. As a member of the Etruscan League of Twelve Cities, the settlement played an important role in trade and the early power politics of central Italy. It later became the Roman colony of Arretium - to this day, the ancient amphitheatre, old city walls and Etruscan artefacts such as the Chimera of Arezzo are silent witnesses to this past.
The second flowering in the Middle Ages
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But Arezzo did not stand still. The town flourished again in the Middle Ages, becoming a bishop's see and home to great names such as Francesco Petrarca and Giorgio Vasari, the architect of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Piero della Francesca also worked here - his fresco cycle "The Legend of the True Cross" in the Basilica of San Francesco attracts art lovers from all over the world.
Panoramic drive through Tuscany
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More InformationA square with soul: Piazza Grande
Anyone entering Arezzo inevitably heads for the Piazza Grande - an unusual, sloping square framed by medieval houses, the Vasari Loggia and baroque palazzi. This is where the heart of the city beats. On the first weekend of every month, the square is transformed into Italy's oldest and largest antiques market: dealers, collectors, the curious and the nostalgic stroll between stalls in search of treasures from the past.
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Knights' games live
The traditional knights' tournament "Giostra del Saracino" also takes place here. Twice a year, riders from the four districts compete in medieval armour, cheered on by fanfares, drums and rows of enthusiastic spectators. Arezzo then shows its most festive side - and proves that history is not a museum memory here, but the living present.
Between everyday life and film set
Arezzo's beauty has not gone unnoticed by the cinema. The city served as the backdrop for Roberto Benigni's Oscar-winning film "La vita è bella". The Piazza Grande, winding alleyways and gently curving stone steps became the stage for one of the most touching stories in Italian cinema. If you walk through the city with open eyes, you will recognise many things - and feel the quiet melancholy that this place can radiate.
Gold, spirit and flavour
Arezzo is not only a city of art, but also of craftsmanship. Gold processing in particular has a long tradition here. Fine pieces of jewellery are created in small workshops, often by hand, sometimes in family businesses with decades of history. Once a year, Arezzo even becomes the centre of the international jewellery world: this is when the "OroArezzo" trade fair takes place, attracting dealers and designers from all over the world.
Perhaps that's exactly what makes Arezzo so special: that it doesn't loudly advertise itself for attention. That it is not on everyone's bucket list. Those who come often stay longer than planned.
