#Pistoia splendid city of the fascinating Tuscany, located in a picturesque strip of land where plains and hills embrace each other beautifully in the shadow of the Apennines a short distance from Florence and Prato and not far from Lucca and Pisa, an architectural jewel where medieval and renaissance styles blend as if by magic with a very rich historic-artistic heritage.
You can start to know Pistoia from its beating heart the beautiful Piazza del Duomo, in front of the wonderful Cathedral of San Zeno dating back to the 10th century, erected in honor of the Saint who was Supreme Bishop of Pistoia in 300 AD.
On the roof of this building you will be able to admire a statue of this religious figure next to another depicting the patron saint of the city, San Jacopo.
The project and idea of bringing these two characters so close derives from the fact that it was Bishop Zeno himself who wanted all that when the relics of St. James, to whom the citizens were very devoted, arrived in Pistoia from Santiago de Compostela, a famous Iberian town, a well-known pilgrimage destination.
Visiting the interior you will appreciate several artistic works of art ranging from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance by Lorenzo di Credi, a pupil of the Florentine Master Andrea del Verrocchio who executed a Madonna Enthroned on a canvas, Domenico Cresti author of the magnificent frescoes on the vault of the presbytery, Cristofano Allori, Matteo Bonechi, Benedetto Veli and the 17th century pulpit by the great Arezzo master Giorgio Vasari.
Absolutely stupendous are the central altar and a chapel decorated with embossed silver sheets that is located on a side side of the central nave dedicated to the Holy Crucifix and to St. James, guarding the aforementioned relics.
At the end of this visit you can stop in front of the imposing bell tower erected in the 12th century on the left side of the Cathedral, a structure of great visual impact that shows sublime Gothic forms crowned by a magnificent dovetail battlements, a very frequent detail in the periods of government of the Ghibelline faction.
Climbing 200 steps you can reach the top of the tower at a height of 66.85 meters where once you reach the top you will admire unforgettable images of the whole Pistoia and sublime panoramic views that represent the essence of the absolute beauty of the evocative Tuscan landscapes.
On the right side of the Cathedral is the Bishops' Palace, a splendid medieval building dating back to the 11th century that was built on the site of the old Market Square, a gift from Emperor Otto to the Curia.
Built in brick with a beautiful loggia decorated with mullioned windows and pointed arches, it currently houses the headquarters of the Pistoia Tourist Office.
Opposite this extraordinary complex stands the beautiful Baptistery of San Giovanni in Corte, built in the 14th century on an octagonal plan, an artistic masterpiece that brings together the best canons of medieval Italic Gothic, characterized by a spectacular façade in two-tone marble linked to the traditional Romanesque school that developed with extreme success in the Pistoia area and the rest of northern Tuscany.
In modern times the structure has undergone restoration works, no religious or liturgical functions are celebrated and occasionally hosts cultural events.
The interior, with its marked lines, characteristic of the period of construction, has a sober profile but in the center of the octagon you will be cheered by the presence of the beautiful Baptismal Font made by a genius of Lombard sculpture, namely Lanfranco di Como.
Just behind the Baptistery you can reach a square called by the locals "La Sala", a lively urban space where the Pozzo del Leoncino stands out, a place where the city market takes place surrounded by various fascinating buildings built in different eras, artisan shops,cozy taverns and restaurants.
Time fot your lunch, I suggest to start with a typical appetizer based on Bruschetta, Ham, Melon and Tuscan Salami, first courses to choose between Pappardelle with Wild Boar Sauce or Pappa al Pomodoro, about second courses options between Chicken in sauce with Tuscan croutons or Grilled Pork Chops with Turnips.
Afer your lunch the magnificent Church of Sant'Andrea, a Romanesque architectural masterpiece dating back to the 8th century and modified in 1100 when it took its current appearance.
You can stop in front of this historic religious building, also called Pieve di Sant'Andrea, which boasts a beautiful façade containing two-tone marble vestments with works by Gruamonte and his brother Adeodato.
They were authors of the entire architrave of the central entrance and three wooden portals of the high artistic school with evident Pisan influences.
Inside you will delighted by the famous pulpit of Sant'Andrea, masterful work of the sculptor and architect Giovanni Pisano as well as beautiful paintings by the Genoese artist Girolamo Scag and the Florentine Cristofano Allori who was a pupil of Bronzino.
Continuation entering into Piazza Giovanni XXIII, a square where the ancient Ospedale del Ceppo stands, a historic, medieval building dating back to the 13th century in its long history at the service of safeguarding public health that reached its peak in 1349 when it was the lifeline eradicating an epidemic of Black Death that spread within the city walls.
The 13th century structure has not had very significant changes except for the beautiful external loggia built in 1600 and slightly enlarged in the following years.
This element shows a masterpiece by the sculptor Santi Buglioni with a splendid polychrome frieze in glazed terracotta on its façade and where the intersections of the arches meet a sequence of roundels also elaborated in glazed terracotta a masterpiece of the talented Florentine ceramist Giovanni della Robbia, son of the great Andrea.
Although the hospital can not be visited internally, you will have the great opportunity to discover the secrets of the Pistoia Underground with entrance included and specialized guide covering about 650.0 meters.
This visit of approximately 70 minutes will illustrate the history of this entirely reclaimed place, ending in the garden of the complex where we will find the anatomical room considered for its minute size the smallest existing in the world and your visit can end here.
Visiting Pistoia is a great experience, a city which has this superb blend of medieval and renaissance art unique in its kind delighting every visitor at first sight.
Link : https://www.comune.pistoia.it/
Where to Stay | Recommended Accomodation
Palazzo 42 – Boutique Hotel & Suites
Hotel Patria
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