← Front page

Untold Italy · Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Arezzo's Giostra del Saracino: An Alternative to Siena's Palio

For those seeking a similar traditional event with fewer crowds and logistics, the Giostra del Saracino in Arezzo is presented as a strong alternative. This jousting tournament, involving knights from four city quarters striking a wooden figure, is described as having the same caliber of historical pageantry and neighborhood pride as Siena's Palio, with easier access to tickets and standing room.

The tape

3 quotes
If all of this sounds wonderful but the crowds and logistics feel like a little bit too much, we do have an alternative.
Katie
The event that we love in Eritzzo is the Giostra del Saracino. It is a jousting tournament between the four quarters of the city.
Katie
Tickets and standing spots are much more available, and a reds in itself is a beautiful Tuscan city.
Katie
Heard on Untold Italy — “Italy Travel Update - Siena's Palio - Happening July 2nd, published Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Heardvine summarizes and quotes with attribution and timestamps, and links to the original everywhere.
Transcribed via publisher transcript · $0.00
Arezzo's Giostra del Saracino: An Alternative to Siena's Palio — Heardvine