Arezzo and Cortona: what to book before you go
The short answer: book Piero della Francesca, and do it well in advance. It is the one part of this trip you cannot improvise. Everything else, from Arezzo's cathedral to Cortona's museums, is paid at the door.
The two towns lie on the Florence–Rome railway line and combine well in a single day. The fast regional train to Arezzo costs €9.80 and takes about 50 minutes to an hour. In Arezzo you walk up from the station to the centre in 10–15 minutes. Cortona is an Etruscan town on top of a steep hill above the Valdichiana, and the challenge is getting up there from the station. If you have a car you can add Anghiari and the villages of the Valtiberina; if you're coming from Siena or the Val d'Orcia, Cortona also makes an excellent stop along the way.
Arezzo
The Legend of the True Cross: how to book
In the Bacci Chapel of the Basilica of San Francesco is Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle of the Legend of the True Cross. To protect it, entry is limited: up to 30 people per slot, with 30-minute visits.
The official rules of the Musei nazionali di Arezzo:
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Booking | compulsory, online only on the official ticketing site |
| Minimum notice | payment at least 3 working days ahead, no same-day bookings |
| Ticket | €6 + €3 booking fee; reduced €2 + €3 |
| Free entry | those entitled to free entry still pay the €3 booking fee |
| First Sunday of the month | free, no booking needed |
| Groups of more than 20 | book via info@arezzointour.it |
| Closed | Wednesdays, 25 December, 1 January |
Opening hours from April to October: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 09:00–19:00; Sundays and public holidays 13:00–18:00. In winter 09:00–10:30 and 11:00–18:00 (the break is for Mass), Sundays 13:00–17:30. Last entry half an hour before closing. Some guides give different summer hours: the official page is the one to trust.
If you're also visiting Casa Vasari and the Mecenate archaeological museum, the combined ticket for the state museums costs €20 (reduced €11) and includes San Francesco.
The cathedral and the Magdalene
In the Cathedral of Santi Donato e Pietro there is a second Piero della Francesca: the fresco of Mary Magdalene, far less famous than the San Francesco cycle. There are also stained-glass windows by Guillaume de Marcillat. Entry to the cathedral is usually free. Tiqets sells a ticket for the cathedral with the Museo Diocesano of sacred art (from €7): check what it includes before buying, because you don't need it for the church alone.
The antiques fair: the first-weekend rule
The Fiera Antiquaria (antiques fair) fills Piazza Grande and the streets of the centre on the first Sunday of every month and the Saturday before it; at certain times, for example over the 1 May holiday, it stretches to three days. When the first Sunday falls on the 1st of the month, the fair's Saturday is the last one of the previous month.
Worth knowing: the first Sunday of the month is also the day San Francesco is free and needs no booking. That weekend Arezzo is at its busiest. If you want the stalls, it's the right time; if you want Piero in peace and an empty Piazza Grande, pick another day.
The Giostra del Saracino
Twice a year Piazza Grande becomes an arena for the Giostra del Saracino, the Joust of the Saracen. Riders from the town's four quarters charge with their lances at the Buratto, the Saracen dummy.
- Giostra di San Donato: a Saturday evening in late June.
- Giostra della Madonna del Conforto: the first Sunday of September, in the afternoon.
Grandstand seats must be paid for; prices and ticket sales should be checked well ahead through the Comune di Arezzo's channels.
Cortona
Under the Tuscan Sun: what's true
Cortona owes much of its international fame to Frances Mayes, author of the memoir Under the Tuscan Sun (1996), which was made into the 2003 film with Diane Lane. Two things to know before you go looking for the villa:
- Mayes's house, Villa Bramasole, is outside the walls, on the road towards the Sanctuary of Santa Margherita. It is a private home: you can't visit it, only see it from the road.
- The villa in the film is not Bramasole: the filming took place at another house near Cortona.
The uphill walk towards Santa Margherita is still a pleasant one.
Museo Diocesano
Opposite the cathedral, the Museo Diocesano holds Fra Angelico's Annunciation (about 1430–34), the painted crucifix by Pietro Lorenzetti and works by Luca Signorelli and Sassetta. The ticket normally costs €6 with audio guide (reduced €3, also for groups of more than 15). It is run by Opera Laboratori: 0577 286300, cortona@operalaboratori.com. Opening hours change with the season and the sources don't agree: call or email before planning your day around this museum.
Here buying direct is the better deal: Tiqets sells entry from €10, more than the official price. It only makes sense if you want the ticket in your pocket in advance.
The MAEC, the Etruscan museum
The MAEC (Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona) is in Palazzo Casali. The highlights are the Tabula Cortonensis, the third-longest Etruscan text known, the large bronze Etruscan lamp from the 4th century BC, the Signorelli tondo, the so-called Muse Polyhymnia and works by Gino Severini.
Tickets are normally €10 (reduced €7). The combined ticket with the Sodo archaeological park costs €13 (reduced €8). The opening hours published by different sources don't match, especially in winter (in the low season it is normally closed on Mondays): check the museum's website before you set off.
Camucia or Terontola?
| Camucia-Cortona | Terontola-Cortona | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance from the centre | about 5 km | about 11 km |
| Trains | regional only | more services, including faster trains on the Florence–Rome line |
| Getting up to town | local bus to Piazza Garibaldi | bus or taxi |
| From Florence | 1 h 10–1 h 50 by regional train, €12.40 | about 1 h 10–1 h 30 |
If you're coming from Florence or Arezzo, Camucia is almost always the simpler choice. Terontola makes sense if you find a more convenient train or if you're continuing towards Rome. Check bus frequencies and times the day before: services are not frequent. If you're driving, leave the car in the car parks below the walls, such as Spirito Santo or Porta Colonia.
Arezzo and Cortona in a day, without a car
The plan works on any day except Wednesday (San Francesco closed). In winter, avoid Mondays too, because of the MAEC. The times below are a guide: build the day around whichever slot for Piero you manage to book, and check the trains on Trenitalia.
- Florence Santa Maria Novellafast regional train to Arezzo, about 50 minutes–1 hour
- Arezzo station10–15 minutes uphill to the centre
- Basilica of San Francescoyour booked 30-minute slot for the Legend of the True Cross
- Piazza Grande and the cathedralPiero's Mary Magdalene in the cathedral
- Lunch in Arezzothen back to the station
- Train to Camucia-Cortonaregional train on the line to Rome; from Camucia, bus to Piazza Garibaldi
- Museo Diocesano, CortonaFra Angelico's Annunciation
- MAEC, Palazzo Casalithe Tabula Cortonensis and the Etruscan lamp
- Towards Santa Margheritaa walk outside the walls, Bramasole from the road only
- Bus to Camucia and train to Florencecheck the last service before you go up into town
A few practical tips. Book your Piero slot for around 09:30–10:00: it leaves you a margin in case the train is late. In Cortona, if you're tired, skip the walk towards Santa Margherita and make your way down to Piazza Garibaldi for the bus at your own pace. If you'd rather do it the other way round (Cortona in the morning, Arezzo in the afternoon), remember that in winter San Francesco closes at 18:00.
- January: not recommended or closed
- February: not recommended or closed
- March: good
- April: best time
- May: best time
- June: good
- July: good
- August: not recommended or closed
- September: best time
- October: best time
- November: good
- December: not recommended or closed
best time good not recommended or closed
The Giostra del Saracino is run in late June and on the first Sunday of September; the antiques fair takes place on the first weekend of every month. In winter, museum opening hours are shorter.
Tours and guided visits
Arezzo and Cortona are poorly covered by group tours from Florence: Tiqets and GetYourGuide mostly sell single tickets and guided visits on the spot. For Piero della Francesca and the Museo Diocesano, the official channel is cheaper. A tour makes sense if you don't want to drive and would like to combine Cortona with Siena and the Val d'Orcia, or if you want a guide to explain the frescoes.
Cortona: Guided walking tour of the Etruscan village through its alleys and history
(12 reviews) from €50
Book on GetYourGuide
From Florence: Siena, Cortona, Montepulciano & Val D'Orcia
(57 reviews) from €189
Book on GetYourGuide- Guided visit to the Legend of the True Cross (GetYourGuide, from €60): one hour with a guide. It costs much more than the €9 official ticket, and at the moment has very few reviews; it's worth it if you want to understand the cycle scene by scene.
- Guided walk in Cortona (GetYourGuide, from €50): two hours through the lanes and Etruscan history.
- Siena, Cortona, Montepulciano and Val d'Orcia from Florence (GetYourGuide, from €189): a long day, useful if you don't have a car and want to see the landscape of the Valdichiana.
If you're staying the night in Cortona, there's also a pasta and pizza class in town (GetYourGuide, from €110): more options on the page about cooking classes.
Partner prices change and we check them regularly: the price shown at the time of purchase is the one that counts.
See the guided walk in Cortona from €50
Mistakes to avoid
- Turning up in Arezzo on any old day without a booking. There are no same-day sales for the Bacci Chapel, except on the first Sunday of the month.
- Going on a Wednesday. San Francesco is closed.
- Getting off at Terontola thinking you're in Cortona. It's 11 km away: without a bus or a pre-booked taxi, you'll be stuck at the station.
- Trying to get into Bramasole. It is a private, lived-in house: take your photo from the road and move on.
- Paying for the Museo Diocesano in Cortona on a third-party site without comparing. It costs less at the ticket desk.
For the rest of eastern and southern Tuscany, see Siena, the Val d'Orcia, day trips from Florence and wine tours.