Knights charge a mechanical Saracen that swings a flail at them if they’re too slow.
Plan this trip →Penultimate Saturday of June (night joust, 9:30pm) and first Sunday of September (day joust, 5pm). Piazza Grande, one of Tuscany’s most beautiful squares.
Four quartieri (Porta Crucifera, Porta del Foro, Porta Sant’Andrea, Porta Santo Spirito) each send two jousters. They charge the Buratto (the Saracen target) with a lance, aiming for the shield on its chest. Score 1–5. The Saracen holds a mazzafrusto (flail with 3 balls) that swings when hit — too slow and it whacks the knight. Historical parade of 350+ people in 14th-century costume precedes the joust.
€15–60. Available at giostraarezzo.it from April. The piazza seats ∼4,000.
AI builds your itinerary around the events you want to see.
Plan my trip — free