Piazza Grande

Arezzo’s Piazza Grande is a steeply sloping trapezoid framed by medieval houses, the Gothic and Renaissance Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici, and Giorgio Vasari’s Renaissance loggia. Built around 1200 and reshaped over the centuries, it remains a setting for the city’s public life, including the twice-yearly Giostra del Saracino and the Fiera Antiquaria.

Why it matters

The square’s distinctive form grew through successive building rather than a single plan. It was reduced to its present dimensions in the sixteenth century to make way for the Palazzo delle Logge, designed by Vasari in 1573 and completed under Alfonso Parigi in 1595. The sloping pavement sets buildings from different periods against one another, including the Romanesque apse of Santa Maria della Pieve, medieval towers and the long Renaissance loggia. The Giostra del Saracino, a tournament between Arezzo’s four quarters, is held here twice a year; the Fiera Antiquaria, founded in 1968, brings the square and surrounding streets into the city’s trading life.

What to notice

The Palazzo delle Logge occupies the upper side of the square. Its arches frame the entrances to former shops, and a copy of a 1687 plaque records a prohibition against the “rabble” walking beneath the portico. Opposite it, the Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici combines Gothic and Renaissance elements; its bell gable houses an astronomical clock dating to 1552. The apse of Santa Maria della Pieve faces the fountain designed by Gherardo Mechini in 1603 as part of the city’s new aqueduct. Near the medieval houses, the Petrone is a reproduction of a column once used to shame bankrupt debtors and post notices; the base shows measures used by market sellers.

Context and history

The square’s dimensions changed as Arezzo’s civic buildings were altered. In 1539, the Palazzo del Comune and Palazzo del Popolo were dismantled to clear a view toward the new Medici Fortress, and the later construction of Vasari’s loggia reshaped the ancient platea communis. Other medieval buildings remain around the perimeter, including Palazzo Cofani-Brizzolari and its thirteenth-century Torre Faggiolana, and Palazzo Lappoli with its tower. A statue of Ferdinand III of Lorraine by Stefano Ricci was placed before the loggia in 1822 and moved to Piaggia di Murello in 1932. The square preserves these architectural layers while continuing to host the city’s ceremonies and market traditions.