Monte San Savino Show, Italy

The Monte San Savino Show takes its name from its home, a town in the province of Arezzo, about 21 km from Arezzo station. It's organised by the G.A.St.Art. association, with the collaboration and patronage of the Monte San Savino community and municipality. The association says it has planned the show every November since 2006, under a project it calls "A Bridge between History and Fantasy".

That name sums the show up. The organiser describes it as an international exhibition and competition of historical figurines and fantasy miniatures, and calls it one of the most important shows in Europe for both the number and the quality of the works on display. In plain terms: painted figures from history and from imagined worlds, side by side, judged by a jury and put on show for anyone who wants to look closely.

A show spread across a town

Unlike a show in a single exhibition hall, Monte San Savino uses buildings around the town. The organiser's event map labels five of them: the Romolo Lupino hall, the Cassero museum, the church of Santa Chiara, Palazzo Galletti and the Ciaperoni centre. Exhibition rooms are spread between them, with a commercial area, a games area and painting courses as well. Part of the pleasure is the walk between venues, so a visit feels more like a weekend in an Italian town than a day in a conference centre.

More than painted figures

Painting is the heart of it, but the 2026 competition rules also cover sculpture, storytelling scenes and a whole "ordnance" section for military vehicles, sci-fi models and dioramas. So although the show is known for figures, modellers who build hardware will find categories of their own.

The Monte San Savino Show 2026 runs Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2026. The status above reads Confirmed by the organiser: the dates come from the organiser's own 2026 competition rules.

The shape of the weekend follows the competition. Entries are handed in on the Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, judging follows, and the awards ceremony is on the Sunday afternoon. After the ceremony, entrants collect their work and the show packs up. If you want to see every entry in place, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning are the safest times to visit, because by then the drop-off has closed and nothing has been collected yet.

Opening times

The organiser hasn't published visitor opening hours on the pages we checked. The drop-off and awards times above are for entrants, so if you're only visiting, check the official site or ask the organiser before you plan your day. The organiser's rules also say it may limit access to rooms when they get very busy, so a little patience at peak times helps.

There's no online ticket to buy. For 2026, the organiser says entry to the show, agreed with the town council, depends on a wristband or pass that lets you into every venue taking part. There are three ways to get one.

The organiser doesn't list separate prices for children or concessions. Because the pass can be free and the paid route is only €5, cost is unlikely to be the deciding factor, but if you're bringing a family it's worth asking the organiser how children are handled.

Competition fees

Entering the competition is a separate fee: €25 if you pre-register online, €35 on site, €15 for a teamwork entry. A teamwork entry is only available when one member of the team is already registered. Pre-registration is online and closes midnight on Saturday 7 November 2026, so if you know you're going, register early and save the difference.

Monte San Savino is a small town, so most visitors from the UK will fly into a regional airport and finish the trip by car or by train and bus. The organiser's show page gives these routes. The tourist office, where you can buy the visitor pass, is at the Museo del Cassero, Piazza Gamurrini 25, 52048 Monte San Savino (AR).

Parking and staying over

The organiser doesn't publish parking details or recommend places to stay on the pages we checked. With a three-day show spread across a small town, it makes sense to book a room early, either in Monte San Savino itself or in Arezzo, which has the main line station. If you're driving, ask your hotel about parking before you arrive. Many of the businesses that support the show are also where visitors pick up the free pass, so the organiser's Supporter list is a useful place to start.

The exhibitions

Competition entries go on display across several of the show's venues, grouped by category. You'll walk from historical painting to fantasy, sculpture, storytelling scenes and the ordnance rooms full of vehicles and dioramas. It's a great way to see what's possible with a brush: blending, freehand, weathering and basing, at arm's length rather than on a phone screen. Entries placed "out of competition" are shown too, for painters who want to display without being judged.

The trade area

The organiser's map marks a commercial area next to several of the exhibition venues. The organiser doesn't publish a count or list of stands on the pages we checked, so treat it as a bonus rather than the reason to go, and bring some euros in case something catches your eye. The organising association also has its own stand, where it hands out magazines readers pre-ordered.

Courses and the MSS Academy

The Romolo Lupino hall, where entrants register, also hosts the MSS Academy and painting courses, according to the event map. The organiser announced its 2026 Academy in August. Places, prices and tutors are published by the organiser, so check the official site early if you'd like to book a class.

The games area and the cow

The map also shows a games area at the Ciaperoni centre. And then there's the cow. Each year the association produces a new version of its small cow figure, and there's a contest just for painted versions of it. The prizes aren't medals but vouchers for meat from a local butcher, which tells you a lot about the show's sense of humour.

This is a summary of the organiser's 2026 rules. Read the full rules in English before you enter, as the details matter and change from year to year.

Standard or Master

Almost every category runs at two levels, Standard and Master, and you choose which to enter. The jury can move a Standard display up to Master if it would still earn a medal there, but never the other way. Each entrant may show one display per category.

The categories

Figures. Painting and Open, each split into Historical, Fantasy and Time Chronicles (civil subjects), plus Storytelling and Sculpture. A sculpted piece can't go in both Sculpture and Open, though a painted copy of the same figure can go in Painting. Bought kits and figures are allowed as long as you state the authorship correctly.

Ordnance. Historical military modelling (out of the box, enhanced, open or scratch-built, and dioramas), sci-fi (out of the box, modded and dioramas), and Time Chronicles ordnance.

Special. The cow contest, a non-competitive Juniors section for entrants up to 16 on the opening day (one display each), and an Out of Competition section for work you want to show without judging. Teams enter a separate team display, and work in progress is welcome if it can be judged fairly.

How judging works

Monte San Savino uses an open system. Three judges each score a display, and the total decides whether it earns gold, silver or bronze. There's no fixed number of medals, so a category can have several golds, one, or none. The judges look at the strongest piece in a display, and weaker pieces don't pull the score down.

On top of the medals, the jury picks BEST awards from the golds: Platinum medals for Historical, Time Chronicles and Fantasy, a Best Standard, best in each genre, Best of Creativity, Best of Painting, Best of Figure and finally Best of Show. No one can win more than one. Each year the show also names a very small number of modellers "Gran Maestro", a lifetime achievement medal.

Competition painters. An international competition with a Standard level is a friendly place to see how your work sits next to painters from other countries, and the Master level is there when you're ready for it.

Painters who want ideas. You don't have to enter to get a lot out of a show like this. Walking slowly past work you admire, and asking yourself how it was done, is one of the quickest ways to improve. Book a course while you're there and you'll learn even faster.

Historical, fantasy and sci-fi fans. With historical, fantasy, civil and sci-fi categories, there's something for most tastes. If you paint display pieces, our guide to painting large miniatures and busts may be handy too.

Beginners and young painters. The Standard level and the non-competitive Juniors section mean you don't need to be an expert to take part. Even if you're just visiting, a free or €5 pass makes it a low-cost way to see top-level work.

Gamers? There's a games area on the map, but this isn't a tournament show. If you're after big tournaments and participation games, look at the other shows on our events around the world page.

Details checked against the organiser's website in October 2026. Always check the official site before you travel. Planning more than one painting show? Our miniature events around the world page lists the big shows by region and month.