Pistoia: a relaxing destination

Only twenty minutes drive from Florence extends Pistoia, a minor touristy attraction for the first time traveller to Italy. A relaxing destination with a bit of everything!

A perfect destination for the art and history lovers for its selection of buildings and monuments such as the Duomo or Cathedral of San Zeno, which was built in the 10th century on the edge of the Piazza del Duomo. This is the seat of the Bishop of Pistoia and has a Romanesque façade, nave and two side-aisles, with a presbytery and crypt. It is first mentioned in 923, but suffered greatly over the centuries, being damaged by fire in the 12th and early 13th centuries and then by earthquake in 1298.

Cathedral of San Zeno, Pistoia

Fantastic place for who loves contemporary art! Pistoia offers a big selections of museums, including the Marino Marini, which offers exhibitions for contemporary living artists.

Market: Piazza della Sala is one of the most ancient squares of the city and dues its name to the longobard word used to indicate the palace where the government of the city resided. Later, it became the place of the every day market and the trades, and still today this is the square where, every day, there is market, where fruits and vegetables can be bought. Here you can meet the locals whilst also grabbing a bargain or two!

Summer events: each year during the month of July, Piazza del Duomo becomes the centre of the Carousel Bear (Giostra dell'Orso), whose name has its origins in 1947. This competition was already held in 1200 in honor of St. James, the patron of the city. This was attended by famous knights and nobles from all over Italy, such as Piero Giambacorta of Pisa (1380), Erasmus Gattamelata of Venice (1434) and Carlo of Oddi of Perugia (1456).

Pistoia is a mix of everything, an alternative day, only a short ride from Florence or Prato.

Go and enjoy yourself!

A presto!

San Gimignano

San Gimignano rose from an ancient etruscan settlement around a seventh century parish and a castle gave to the Volterra’s episcope in 929; during the XII century became a city-republic. Its first walls were born in 998, when San Gimignano became a business centre along the Francigena Way - the Pilgrims Road to and from Rome.

The families, enriched with the commerce, ordered 72 towers to be built. Further to the continuous infighting between Guelfi and Ghibellini factions (in 1300 also Dante Alighieri stopped there few days as Guelfi’s league ambassador) and to the conflict with Volterra, in 1343 was subordinated to the duke of Athens and in 1353 was subdued to Florence, following later the rule of Grand Duchy of Tuscany till 1860.

The Urban structure and the numerosity of civil and religious buildings of San Gimignano, almost intact, preserve the medievale fascination; nowdays remain only 15 of the 72 towers, unbroken or cropped, but they are enough to give an unmistakable mark to the town.