Mestolo Fair

The Mestolo Fair, a historic Arezzo tradition

The Mestolo Fair is one of the most deeply rooted events in the calendar of the Municipality of Arezzo, in Tuscany. It takes place every year in September, occupying the streets of the historic center near the Eden parking area for three days, spanning via Spinello, via Guadagnoli, via Niccolò Aretino, and the lower part of via Margaritone. Its curious name tells an ancient story, tied to the agricultural cycle and the work of the fields.

Origins linked to the grape harvest

The fair originated as an event held just before the start of the grape harvest: on that occasion, the rural population around Arezzo would come to the city to renew their agricultural tools and utensils needed for grape picking. Among these, wooden ladles (mestoli) and wicker items were essential, eventually lending their name to the event. Even today, alongside more modern stalls, vendors of baskets, wooden objects, and traditional ladles—the true symbol of this fair—continue to thrive.

What to find at the fair

Over the decades, the Mestolo Fair has evolved into a large market that brings products, flavors, and food and wine specialties from all over Italy to Arezzo. Along the route, you will find:

• Food stalls, featuring sweets and porchetta, as well as general food vendors
• Clothing, footwear, household linens, and homeware
• Costume jewelry, leather goods, and demonstration products
• Food specialties from various Italian regions
• The characteristic wicker baskets, wooden objects, and ladles of the tradition

A city celebration

For the people of Arezzo, the Mestolo Fair is much more than a market: it is an end-of-summer ritual that attracts thousands of visitors from the city and the province of Arezzo. The event requires a significant reorganization of traffic, with the closure of the Eden parking area and numerous streets in the center, a sign of its scale and importance to the territory. Strolling among the stalls, tasting porchetta or a sweet, and browsing through wooden ladles has been, for generations, a way for locals to bid farewell to summer and welcome autumn.