Arezzo opens onto a varied landscape, where the city, hills and valleys form a region rich in contrasts. Each area has its own distinct identity, shaped over time by nature, history, human activity and different ways of living in the countryside. The landscape and atmosphere change from one area to another: hills covered with olive groves and vineyards, reclaimed plains, Apennine forests, fortified villages, nature reserves and ancient routes form a mosaic that also helps explain the diversity of local cuisine, products and traditions.
Arezzo city
Exploring the city means discovering its squares, churches, museums, shops and events. Food naturally becomes part of the experience: a break along the way, lunch in the streets of the historic centre, dinner after an exhibition or a performance, or a stop at a trattoria, wine bar or contemporary restaurant. Eating in Arezzo also means experiencing the city’s everyday life, where food becomes part of the stay and enriches the pleasure of discovering the city.
Arezzo has a compact historic centre filled with landmarks. Piazza Grande, the Pieve di Santa Maria, the Cathedral, the Basilica of San Francesco with Piero della Francesca’s Legend of the True Cross, the Medici Fortress, the museums and the streets climbing towards the upper part of the city all reveal an elegant, lively and distinctive urban heritage.
Four areas to explore
The valleys of Arezzo offer different perspectives on the region. Each itinerary reveals a distinctive landscape: the city and its nearby hills; Valdichiana and its agricultural countryside; Casentino and Valtiberina, with their rivers and forests; and Valdarno and Pratomagno, with the Balze, villages and mountain ridges. Together, they provide a useful guide to exploring the area’s nature, history, rural landscapes and local traditions.
Arezzo and the lands around it reveal the close relationship between the city and its surrounding countryside. The hills around Arezzo, the Arno valley, Ponte Buriano, parish churches, small villages and natural areas form a landscape between city and nature, where roads lead towards olive groves, vineyards, farms, the banks of the Arno and places connected with Arezzo’s history. Here, the countryside is never far from the city: it accompanies and surrounds it, adding another dimension to its story.
The Aretine hills lead towards Valdichiana, one of the area’s major agricultural landscapes. The plain, hills, historic villages and traces of Etruscan and Roman civilisation tell the story of a land transformed over the centuries by water, land reclamation, farming and human settlement. It is one of the areas where the relationship between agriculture, livestock farming, history and everyday life has left a particularly strong mark on the landscape and local traditions.
Between the Tiber and the Arno brings together Casentino and Valtiberina, two areas shaped by rivers, forests, fortified villages, parish churches and important places of spirituality. Casentino has a particularly close relationship with its forests and the Apennines, while Valtiberina opens towards border landscapes between Tuscany, Umbria, Marche and Romagna. Here, nature, religious history, art and rural memory are deeply intertwined.
From the Balze to Pratomagno explores Valdarno and the great mountain massif that dominates the landscape between Arezzo and Florence. The scenery changes rapidly: the Arno valley floor, the Balze, the Via dei Setteponti, villages, olive groves and vineyards gradually give way to chestnut woods, beech forests and high-altitude grasslands. This variety of environments makes the area one of the most distinctive in the province, combining history, nature, villages and scenic routes.
A true Renaissance to experience
Discover Arezzo and explore its territory enclosed between four green valleys and an elegant, lively city. Immerse yourself in nature, in places of silence and spirit, admiring the beauty of unique works of art, or seek out experiences where you can try out new skills and emotions.
Places to stay
The Arezzo area offers a wide variety of accommodation options to suit every need.
Find the perfect accommodation for you in Arezzo.
Accomodation guide
