Pistoia

Pistoia is a 90,441 inhabitants city by Ombrone Pistoiese river (tributary of the river Arno) in the northern part of Tuscany, in Italy. It's also the capital city of the province of Pistoia and its most inhabited city. The city is well known for its plant nurseries throughout Europe and is an important industrial center within the Tuscan region.

How do I arrive to Pistoia?

  Pistoia is an important city in Tuscany and moreover it's located between Florence and the sea so the ways to arrive here are diverse. 

• Train: there are frequent trains to Montecatini Terme (aprox. 15 minutes), Prato (aprox. 20 minutes), Lucca (aprox. 45 minutes), Florence (aprox. 40 minutes), Cutigliano (aprox. 55 minutes), Viareggio (aprox. 1 hour 10 minutes) or Pisa (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes). It's also connected with Bologna (aprox. 1 hour 40 minutes) in Emilia-Romagna.
• Bus: there aren't many buses from Pistoia but the ones that exist go to Lucca.
• Car: if you rented a car from Pistoia it can be reached Montecatini Terme (aprox. 15 minutes), Prato (aprox. 25 minutes), Lucca (aprox. 35 minutes), Florence (aprox. 40 minutes), Pisa (aprox. 50 minutes), Cutigliano (aprox. 55 minutes) and Bologna (aprox. 1.5 hours) in Emilia-Romagna.

History

 Pistoia (formerly known as Pistoria) was a place of settlement for Gauls, Ligurians and Etruscans before becoming a Roman colony in the 6th century BC, being part of via Cassia. Close to the city the demagogue Catilina and his companions in the conspiracy were killed in 62 AD. From the 5th century onwards the city was bishopric and during the Lombard kingdom it was a royal city with various privileges. The golden age of Pistoia began in 1177 when a free commune was proclaimed, becoming an important political center (from those times the walls and various public and religious buildings were built). The Ghibelline Pistoia was taken by the Guelph Florence in 1254 (period when the Guelphs were divided into the white faction and the black faction) and since then Pistoia continued to depend on Florence except for a brief period of time during the 14th century, when Castruccio Castracani conquered it for Lucca. Pistoia was officially annexed to Florence in 1530. Pistoia gave its name to the pistol that was manufactured in the 16th century and in 1786 a famous Jansenist episcopal synod was held in the city. In 1861 Pistoia, like the rest of Tuscany, was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy and in 1927 Pistoia became a province and prefecture seat. The municipality of Pistoia is one of the cities awarded with the Silver Medal for Military Valor for the sacrifices of its populations and for its activity in the partisan struggle during WW2. Nowadays it's notable for the extensive plant nurseries on its surroundings and its flower markets.
The city is mentioned on Dante's Divine Comedy as the city of Vanni Fucci, whom he finds in Hell entangled in a knot of snakes while cursing God while Michelangelo called enemies of heaven to the Pistoiese.
 

What can I visit in Pistoia?

The city is considered an under the radar destination (specially compared with neighbouring Pisa, Lucca or Florence) but it's still a very interesting place with beautiful churches, palaces, streets and squares like Piazza della Sala, one of the most beautiful in Pistoia, or Piazzeta degli Ortaggi.

These are Pistoia's main attractions:

• Pistoia Cathedral (8:30-18; free): 10th century Pisan Romanesque style duomo built and seat of the Bishop of Pistoia. Its façade safeguards a lunette by Andrea della Robbia. Some of the highlights of the interior of the church are the Funerary Monumentand to Cardinal Niccolo Forteguerri by Andrea del Verrocchio and Lorenzo Lotti and Crucifixion by Coppo di Marcovaldo. It can be visited its Bell Tower (10-18 from Apr to Oct; 10-13 and 15-17 from Nov to Mar; 8€/ 5.50€  adults/ reduced), that provides great views of the city, and the St. Jacopo Chapel (5€/ 3.50€  adults/ reduced), an impressing chapel where it can be found the impressing silver altarpiece Altare d'Argento di San Giacomo, whose construction begun in 1287 and was finished by Brunelleschi two centuries later, and relics of St. James brought from Santiago de Compostela. There's a combined ticket for these 2 places (12€/ 10€  adults/ reduced).
• Baptistery of St. Giovanni in Corte (10-18 from Apr to Oct; 10-13 and 15-17 from Nov to Mar; free): 14th century octogonal baptistery decorated with green and white marble designed by Andrea Pisano. It keeps a high cupola and a fountain. Here are sold the tickets to visit the Bell Tower and St. Jacopo Chapel.
  
• Museo Civico di Pistoia (11-14 Tue-Fri, 11-19 Sat-Sun from Jun to Sep; 10-16 Tue-Fri, 10-18 Sat-Sun from Oct to May; 3.50€/ 2€  adults/ students and kids): museum located at 14th century Pistoia City Hall (Palazzo Comunale), made in Gothic style) that displays a collection of ancient art that shows the artistic history of Pistoia from the 12th century to 20th century. It includes over 300 pieces with paintings, sculptures and objects of applied art like the impressing Madonna della Pergola by Bernardino di Antonio Detti.
• Pretorio Palace: 19th century Neo-gothic palazzo built to substitue the previous one from the 14th century because it was in very poor conditions.
• Pistoia Diocesan Museum (9-13 Tue-Fri and Sun, 9-17 Sat; 5€/ 4€  adults/ students and kids): small museum that some of the most outstanding works of art in the Diocese of Pistoia like furnishings, paintings from Pistoia school or liturgical vestments.
• St. Salvatore Church: Romanesque church that was first built in the 10th century, rebuilt in the 12th century and abandoned in 1784. It was used later as storage room, as an art studio and nowadays it hosts a small museum that shows the history of Pistoia.
• St. Bartolomeo in Pantano Church: 12th century church with a mixture of Pistoiese Romanesque and Gothic styles that nice façade that consists of round arches on half-columns and an ornate architrave. In the interior one of the highlights is the 13th century pulpit by Guido da Como and an apse attributed to Manfredino di Alberto.
• Spedale del Ceppo Museum (10-18 from Apr to Sep; 10-17 from Oct to Mar; underground guided tour 9€/ 7€  adults/ reduced/ kids under 6): museum placed at a former 13th century hospital complex (that was used till 2013) that shows its historical, architectural and artistic events that occured here on its underground tunnels. On the exterior it can be seen a Robbiano style frieze, a masterpiece of the Renaissance sculpture in Pistoia, by Giovanni della Robbia.
• Sant'Andrea Church (9:30-13 and 14-17 Tue-Sat, 11:30-16:30 Sun; 2.50€/ 2€/ free  adults/ reduced/ kids under 6): 12th century Pistoiese Romanesque style church that used to be used a pieve (to congregate people from surrounding village churches use for baptism) with a nice façade made of white and green marble. On its interior it can be found a 14th century pulpit by Giovanni Pisano, one of the highlights of the church together with the remains of the 15th century frescoes by Bernardino del Signoraccio focused on the Massacre of the Innocents.
• Palazzo Fabroni (10-14 Tue-Fri, 10-18 Sat-Sun; 3.50€/ 2€/ free  adults/ reduced/ kids under 6): 14th century palace bought by Fabroni family in the 17th century and that nowadays is home of an interesting exhibition on Contemporary art granted by several artists. Some of the most important ones are Scultura d'Ombra by Claudio Parmiggiani and the rooms focused on Mario Nigro and Fernando Melani, both native from Pistoia.
  
• Il Giardino Volante (9-12:30 and 15:30-19 from Jul to Aug; 9-12:30 and 15-19 Wed-Sun in May and Jun; free): charming park designed by local artists that mixes sledges and swings with Contemporary works of art.
  
• Basilica of Madonna dell'umiltà (9:30-17:30 Mon-Fri, 8:30-19:30 Sat-Sun from Oct to Apr; free): 15th century Renaissance style basilica built by Ventura Vitoni. Its red-tiled dome  desgined by Giorgio Vasari is very similar to Florence's Cathedral one although it's smaller. In the interior, behind the high altar, there's a 14th century fresco that is said to be miraculous, Madonna dell'umiltà, having shed real tears in 1498. Some of its most important works of arts are St. Jacob Apostle by Gerino da Pistoia, Rest in Egypt by Lazzaro Baldi or Adoration of the Magi by Francesco Vanni.
• St. Giovanni Fuoricivitas Church (9:30-18:30 from Mar to Oct; 9:30-16:30 from Nov to Feb; 5€/ 4€  adults/ reduced): Pisan Romanesque church built between 12th and 14th centuries for the Benidictine Order. On its interior there's a nice pulpit by Fra Guglielmo da Pisa, the sculpture Visitation by Luca della Robbia and the 14th century polyptych by Taddeo Gaddi.
• Panciatichi Palace: 16th century palazzo, first built in the 14th century, that keeps its rare French style stone cross windows from Middle Ages.
• Marino Marini Documentation Center and Foundation (10-18 Mon-Sat, 14:30-19:30 Sun from Apr to Sep; 10-17 from Oct to Mar): museum that shows the life and work of Marino Marini, a 20th century sculptor born in Pistoia that has works such as the sculpture Miracolo. It is housed in the former Palazzo del Tau. Next to it is located Tau Chapel (8:15-13:30 Mon-Sat; free), a 14th century Gothic chapel decorated with frescoes by the school of Giotto that show histories of the Old and New Testaments. Here it's placed the sculpture Miracolo.
  
• Pistoia City Walls: remains of the walls of the city that date back from three different periods: Roman times, 11th century and 16th century.
• Fortress of St. Barbara: 16th century fortress built under Grand Duke Cosimo I de Medici by the architect Bernardo Buontalenti, that connected it with the city walls.A teahouse, an aviary and other romantic 19th-century follies mingle with cutting-edge sculptures and art installations created by top contemporary artists at Fattoria di Celle, 5km west of Pistoia. The extraordinary private collection and passion of local businessman Giuliano Gori, this unique estate showcases 70 site-specific installations sprinkled around his vast family home.
• On the outskirts of the city there's the Villa Farmhouse of Celle (guided tours), complex with a teahouse, an aviary and other follies mingle with sculptures and art installations that has a lot of charm. The guided tour has be booked around 6-8 weeks on advance.

Piazza della Sala

Altare d'Argento di San Giacomo

Terme Tettuccio

Tuscany is home of many spa towns and without doubt one of the most famous ones is Montecatini Terme (20,742 inhabitants), 20 km west from Pistoia. The town keeps some of the spas, among them Terme Tettuccio, beautiful 18th century spa with early Neoclassic decoration and that gets the water from different springs (originally it flowed water from Tettucio spring), Terme Tamerici, early 20th century spa designed by Giulio Bernardini that shapes medieval architecture with references to oriental art, and Terme Leopoldine. Montecatini Terme has other things that make the visit worthy like the eccentric Basilica of St. Maria Assunta, octogonal church built in 1958 that was designed by Raffaello Fagnoni with stained glass windows by Giorgio Scalco and the Crucifix by Sauro Cavallini, and Verdi Threater. In the fraction of Montecatini Alto it can be visited Sts. Jacopo e Filippo Church, a nice Baroque church that substitued a previous Romanesque one, and St. Pietro Church, a former castle church that was rebuilt as a Romanesque parish church.

Where can I eat in Pistoia?

 Pistoia has some interesting places to eat, most of them located by Via del Lastrone. The typical dishes in Pistoia are carcerato (made of bread, calf meat and its offfal), frittata con rigatino (omelette with bacon), farinata con cavalo (chickpea cake with cabbage), migliacci (pork blood fritters) or berlingozzo (traditional sweet from Pistoia). The city has some interesting places to eat for a low price such as the cafe-bakery Carmine (Corso Antonio Gramsci 4), the pizzeria Apicio (Via del Duca 8) or the trattoria La Bettola (Via Porta San Marco 69). There are many culinary offers for medium prices like the restaurant I Salaioli (piazza della Sala 20), the Italian restaurant Mangno Gaudio (Via Curtatone e Montanara 12), osteria La BotteGaia (Via del Lastrone 17) or the trattoria Trattoria Dell'Abbondanza (Via Abbondanza).

Posted in: Europe,Italy,Tuscany