Arezzo was founded by the Etruscans and was the center of one of the twelve Etruscan principalities. At the time of the Roman Empire, the city was called Arretium and was known as the center of metalwork and potters. In the Middle Ages it was an independent city-state, until it fell to Florence in 1384.
On the last Sunday of June, and the first Sunday of September, the Saracen Jousting (Giostra dei Saraceni) is still held, in which the different neighborhoods of the city compete against each other, and many dress up in medieval costumes