Arezzo (UK: /əˈrɛtsoʊ, æˈr-/ ə-RET-soh, arr-ET-soh, US: /ɑːˈr-/ ar-ET-soh;[3] Italian: [aˈrettso])[a] is a city and comune in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany.

[8] The city is also known for the important Giostra del Saracino, a game of chivalry that dates back to the Middle Ages.

[citation needed] Conquered by the Romans in 311 BC, Arretium became a military station on the via Cassia, the road by which Rome expanded into the basin of the Po.

The city continued to flourish as Arretium Vetus ("Old Arretium"), the third-largest city in Italy in the Augustan period, well known in particular for its widely exported pottery manufactures, the characteristic moulded and glazed Arretine ware, bucchero-ware of dark clay and red-painted vases (the so-called "coral" vases).

The Tarlati sought support in an alliance with Forlì and its overlords, the Ordelaffi, but failed: Arezzo yielded to Florentine domination in 1384; its individual history became subsumed in that of Florence and of the Medicean Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

City buildings suffered heavy damage during World War II; the Germans made a stand in front of Arezzo early in July 1944 and fierce fighting ensued before the British 6th Armoured Division, assisted by New Zealand troops of the 2nd New Zealand Division, liberated the town 16 July 1944.

[12] Notable earthquakes are still a very rare phenomenon in the province, with a 4.6 quake 25 kilometres (16 mi) to its north-east that claimed no lives on 26 November 2001 the exception.

[13] Arezzo has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with hot and dry summers combined with mild and rainy winters.

The Piazza Grande is the most noteworthy medieval square in the city, opening behind the 13th century Romanesque apse of Santa Maria della Pieve.