Pistoia (; ) is a city and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, the capital of a province of the same name, located about north-west of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and is crossed by the

Ombrone Pistoiese The Ombrone Pistoiese is an Italian river and tributary of the Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Fa ...

, a tributary of the River

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a sou ...

. It is a typical Italian medieval city, and it attracts many tourists, especially in the summer. The city is famous throughout Europe for its

plant nurseries A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to a desired size. Mostly the plants concerned are for gardening, forestry, or conservation biology, rather than agriculture. They include retail nurseries, which sell to the general ...

History

''Pistoria'' (in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

other possible forms are ''Pistorium'' or ''Pistoriae'') was a centre of Gallic, Ligurian and

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...

settlements before becoming a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...

in the 6th century BC, along the important road

Via Cassia The Via Cassia () was an important Roman road striking out of the Via Flaminia near the Milvian Bridge in the immediate vicinity of Rome and, passing not far from Veii, traversed Etruria. The ''Via Cassia'' passed through Baccanae, Sutrium ...

: in 62 BC the

demagogue A demagogue (; ; ), or rabble-rouser, is a political leader in a democracy who gains popularity by arousing the common people against elites, especially through oratory that whips up the passions of crowds, Appeal to emotion, appealing to emo ...

Catiline Lucius Sergius Catilina ( – January 62 BC), known in English as Catiline (), was a Roman politician and soldier best known for instigating the Catilinarian conspiracy, a failed attempt to seize control of the Roman state in 63 BC. ...

and his fellow conspirators were slain nearby. From the 5th century the city was a bishopric, and during the Lombardic kingdom it was a royal city and had several privileges. Pistoia's most splendid age began in 1177 when it proclaimed itself a

free commune Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense (both physical defense and of traditional freedoms) among the citizens of a town or city. These took many forms and varied widely in organization and makeup. C ...

: in the following years it became an important political centre, erecting walls and several public and religious buildings. In 1254 the

Ghibelline The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th and 13th centu ...

town of Pistoia was conquered by the

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

Florence; this did not pacify the town, but led to marked civil violence between "Black" and "White" Guelph factions, pitting different noble families against one another. In the ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * ''Inferno'' (1980 film), an Italian ...

'' of

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

, we encounter a particularly violent member of the Black faction of Pistoia,

Vanni Fucci Vanni Fucci di Pistoia was a 13th-century Italian and a minor character in '' Inferno'', the first part of Dante Alighieri's epic poem the ''Divine Comedy'', appearing in Cantos XXIV & XXV. He was a thief who lived in Pistoia, as his name ("di Pi ...

, tangled up in a knot of snakes while cursing God, who states: ''(I am a) beast and Pistoia my worthy lair''. Pistoia remained a Florentine holding except for a brief period in the 14th century, when a former abbott,

Ormanno Tedici Ormanno Tedici was an abbot and Italian politician who served as the Lord of Pistoia between 1322 and 1324. Early life and education Born in 1250 in Tuscany, Ormanno Tedici was the son of Messer Jacopo di Fortebraccio Tedici, who tried briefly to ...

, became Lord of the city. This did not last long, since his nephew Filippo sold the town to

Castruccio Castracani Castruccio Castracani degli Antelminelli (; 1281 – 3 September 1328) was an Italian condottiero and duke of Lucca. Biography Castruccio was born in Lucca, a member of the noble family of Antelminelli, of the Ghibelline party. In 1300, he w ...

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

. The town was officially annexed to

in 1530. One of the most famous families of the city was that of the Rospigliosi, owners of agricultural estates and wool merchants; the Rospigliosi provided a pope in 1667 with Giulio Rospigliosi, who briefly reigned as

Clement IX Pope Clement IX (; ; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669. Giulio Rospigliosi was born into the noble Ro ...

(1667–69), and gave several cardinals to the church. In 1786 a famous

Jansenist Jansenism was a 17th- and 18th-century theological movement within Roman Catholicism, primarily active in France, which arose as an attempt to reconcile the theological concepts of free will and divine grace in response to certain development ...

episcopal synod was convened in Pistoia. According to one theory, Pistoia lent its name to the

pistol A pistol is a type of handgun, characterised by a gun barrel, barrel with an integral chamber (firearms), chamber. The word "pistol" derives from the Middle French ''pistolet'' (), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the Englis ...

, which started to be manufactured in Pistoia during the 16th century. But today, it is also notable for the extensive

spreading around it. Consequently, Pistoia is also famous for its flower markets, as is the nearby

Pescia Pescia () is an Italian city in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located in a central zone between the cities Lucca and Florence, on the banks of the river of the same name. History Archaeological excavations have suggest ...

Geography

Pistoia borders with the municipalities of

Agliana Agliana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pistoia in the Italian region of Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about southeast of Pistoia. Agliana borders the municipalities of Montale, Montemurlo, Pistoia, Pr ...

Alto Reno Terme Alto Reno Terme is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsul ...

, Cantagallo,

Lizzano in Belvedere Lizzano in Belvedere ( High Mountain Bolognese: ; City Bolognese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southwest of Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the c ...

Marliana Marliana is a municipality () in the Province of Pistoia in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about west of Pistoia. The church of St. Nicholas, known from 1373, houses two statuettes attributed to Benedetto Bu ...

Montale Montale may refer to: *Eugenio Montale Eugenio Montale (; 12 October 1896 – 12 September 1981) was an Italian poet, prose writer, editor and translator. In 1975, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for 'for his distinctive poetry whi ...

Quarrata Quarrata is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pistoia in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about south of Pistoia. Main sights *Propositura (church) of Santa Maria Assunta *Pieve (pleban church) of San ...

Sambuca Pistoiese Sambuca Pistoiese is a town and ''comune ''of the Province of Pistoia in the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. The comune is in fact constituted by several different villages (''frazioni''), the most important of which are Pàvana at and Tre ...

San Marcello Piteglio San Marcello Piteglio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pistoia in Tuscany, Italy. It was created in 2016 after the merger of the former communes of San Marcello Pistoiese and Piteglio. The hamlet of Gavinana is notable for the si ...

and

Serravalle Pistoiese Serravalle Pistoiese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pistoia in the Italy, Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about southwest of Pistoia. History The original settlement consisted of two cones, tho ...

Government

''Frazioni'' (Districts)

Culture

;Literature In

Anatole France (; born ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters.I Love You in All the Languages in the World'', '' Amici miei'', and '' Medici: Masters of Florence''. ;Music * ''Pistoia Blues'', an international music festival held since 1980. It is one of the most important European

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

festivals. Artists such as

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

have attended and performed at the festival. ;''Giostra dell'Orso'' "Joust of the Bear", a ceremony that is mentioned even in a chronicle dating back to 1300, when a dozen riders organized a ritual combat against a bear. Despite many changes, this traditional ceremony was staged every year until 1666, when the abandonment was recorded by the ritual celebration of the people. It was revived in 1947, and takes place on July 25 Piazza del Duomo, where the best horsemen of the city's traditional quarters tilt with lances at a target held up by a dummy shaped like a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

Pistoia Cattedrale di San Zenone Campanile Vista sul Torre di Catilina

Main sights

Although less visited than other cities in

, the medieval city within Pistoia's old walls is charming and well-preserved.

Piazza del Duomo

The large ''Piazza del Duomo'', dominated by the cathedral, is lined with other medieval buildings, such as the ''Palazzo Comunale'' which houses the town museum (''Museo Civico'') and the ''Palazzo del

Podestà (), also potestate or podesta in English, was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of central and northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a c ...

.'' The original '' Cathedral of San Zeno'' (5th century) burned down in 1108, but was rebuilt during the 12th century, and received incremental improvements until the 17th century. The façade has a prominent Romanesque style, while the interior received heavy

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

additions which were removed during the 1960s. Its outstanding feature is the ''Altar of St James'', an exemplar of the

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exact synonyms, as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are (or were, at least) largely the same but differed in that t ...

's craft begun in 1287 but not finished until the 15th century. Its various sections contain 628 figures, the total weighing nearly a ton. The Romanesque belfry, standing at some , was erected over an ancient Lombard tower. In the square is also the 14th-century

Baptistry In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptist ...

'' San Giovanni in Corte,'' with white and green striped marble revetment characteristic of the Tuscan Gothic style. The ''Palazzo dei Vescovi'' ("Bishops' Palace"), is characterized by a Gothic

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...

to on the first floor. It is known from 1091, initially as a fortified noble residence. In the 12th century it received a more decorated appearance, with

mullioned window A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...

s and frescoes, of which traces remain. It was later modified in the mid-12th century (St. James Chapel, mentioned by

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

in the XXIV canto of his ''

'') and in the 13th century; to the latter restoration belongs the white marble-decorated staircase, one of the most ancient examples in Italy in civil architecture. In the 14th century, the Chapel of St. Nicholas was decorated with stories of the namesake saint and other martyrs. The ''Tower of Catilina'' dates to the High Middle Ages, and stands high.

Religious buildings

* ''

Basilica of Our Lady of Humility In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

(Madonna dell'Umiltà'') (1509), finished by

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideol ...

with a high cupola. The original project was by

Giuliano da Sangallo Giuliano da Sangallo (c. 1445 – 1516) was an Italian sculptor, architect and military engineer active during the Italian Renaissance. He is known primarily for being the favored architect of Lorenzo de' Medici, his patron. In this role, Giuli ...

, but works were begun in 1495 by

Ventura Vitoni Ventura (Italian, Portuguese and Spanish for "fortune") may refer to: Places ; Brazil * Boa Ventura de São Roque, a municipality in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil * Boa Ventura, Paraíba, a municipality in the state of Paraíba, in the ...

. The dome was commissioned by

Cosimo I de' Medici Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second and last duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first grand duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Cosimo I succeeded his cousin to the duchy. ...

to Vasari, the lantern completed in 1568 and the church consecrated in 1582. In the apse is a painting by

Bernardino del Signoraccio Bernardino del Signoraccio or Signoracci (active first three decades of 16th century) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active in Tuscany. Biography He was the father of the painter Fra Paolino da Pistoia Fra Paolino da Pisto ...

(1493). * '' Santissima Annunziata'', former Baroque church known for its Chiostro dei Morti ("Cloister of the Dead"). * ''

San Bartolomeo in Pantano San Bartolomeo in Pantano is a Romanesque architecture, Romanesque and Gothic architecture, Gothic style, Roman Catholic church in Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy, dedicated to St. Bartholomew the Apostle. The ''wiktionary:pantano, pantano'' of t ...

'' (12th century) * ''San Giovanni Battista'' (15th century). Damaged during World War II bombardments, it is now used as an exhibition center. * ''San Giovanni Battista al Tempio'' (11th century), owned for a while by the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

and then by the

Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...

Knights. * ''San Benedetto'' (14th century, restored in 1630). It houses an ''Annunciation'' (1390) by

Giovanni di Bartolomeo Cristiani Giovanni di Bartolomeo Cristiani was an Italian painter active in Pistoia and Pisa in the second half of the 14th century. Originally from Pistoia, Cristiani is documented in Florence in 1366. His career is mainly situated in Pistoia and Pisa. ...

, a ''St Benedict with the Redeemer'' (16th-century) by a Florentine painter, and in the cloister ''Histories of the Order of the Knights of St Benedict'' by

Giovan Battista Vanni Giovanni Battista Vanni (c. 1599 – 27 July 1660) was an Italian painter and engraver of the Baroque period. Vanni was born in either Pisa or Florence around 1599; he studied successively under Jacopo da Empoli, Aurelio Lomi, and Matteo Rossell ...

(1660). * '' San Domenico'' * ''San Francesco'' (begun 1289). Franciscan church has an unfinished façade with bichrome marble decoration. It has frescoes with ''Stories of the Life of St Francis'' in the main chapel and other 14th and 15th century frescoes. * ''

San Giovanni Fuoricivitas San Giovanni Fuoricivitas (also called San Giovanni Evangelista Fuorcivitas or ''Forcivitas'') is a Romanesque architecture, Romanesque religious church and adjacent buildings in Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy. The adjective ''fuoricivitas'' (a m ...

'' (12th–14th century), Romanesque church * ''San Leone'' (14th century) church enlarged in the 16th–18th centuries. Its Baroque-Roccoco interior houses some notable canvases by

Giovanni Lanfranco Giovanni Lanfranco (26 January 1582 – 30 November 1647) was an Italian Baroque painter. Biography Giovanni Gaspare Lanfranco was born in Parma, the third son of Stefano and Cornelia Lanfranchi, and was placed as a page in the household of Coun ...

, Stefano Marucelli and

Vincenzo Meucci Vincenzo Meucci (1694–1766) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque period. Born in Florence. He was a pupil first of the painter Sebastiano Galeotti, then of Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole in Bologna. He was patronized by the Marchese Giov ...

. * '' Santa Maria delle Grazie'' * '' Santa Maria in Ripalta'' (11th century). It houses a large ''Ascent of Christ'' fresco in the apse, attributed to

Manfredino d'Alberto Manfredino di Alberto, also known as Manfredino d'Alberto or Manfredino da Pistoia was an Italians, Italian painters active during the 13th-century in Pistoia and Genoa. He is said to have been born in Pistoia. In 1242, he painted frescoes, depi ...

(1274). * ''

San Paolo San Paolo (Italian for Saint Paul) may refer to: Municipalities in Italy * San Paolo, Lombardy, a municipality in Lombardy, Italy * San Paolo Albanese, village and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy * ...

'' * '' San Pier Maggiore'' * '' Pieve di Sant'Andrea'', housing

Giovanni Pisano Giovanni Pisano () was an Italian sculptor, painter and architect, who worked in the cities of Pisa, Siena and Pistoia. He is best known for his sculpture which shows the influence of both the French Gothic and the Ancient Roman art. Henry Mo ...

's '' Pulpit of St. Andrew''. * ''Pieve of San Michele in Groppoli'', ancient chapel now parish church. * ''La Vergine''

Others

* The 14th-century walls. These had originally four gates, Porta al Borgo, Porta San Marco, Porta Carratica and Porta Lucchese, all demolished at the beginning of the 20th century. * ''

Ospedale del Ceppo Ospedale del Ceppo is a medieval hospital founded in 1277 in Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy. History According to tradition, the ''Ospedale'' was founded in 1277 by the company of Santa Maria or "del Ceppo dei poveri" ("The offering trunk of ...

'' (13th century) * '' Palazzo Panciatichi'' * ''Medici Fortress of Santa Barbara'', built at first in 1331 by the Florentines, but destroyed by the Pistoiese citizens in 1343. It was rebuilt by order of Cosimo I de' Medici from 1539, and later enlarged by

Bernardo Buontalenti Bernardo Timante Buonacorsi ( – June 1608), known as Bernardo Buontalenti () and sometimes by the nickname "Bernardo delle Girandole", was an Italian Scenic design, stage designer, architect, theatrical designer, Military engineering, military ...

. It sustained one single siege by the

Barberini The House of Barberini is a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in the 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban pal ...

troops in 1643, before being disarmed by Grand Duke Peter Leopold in 1734. Later it was used as a barracks and military jail, while today it serves as a venue for cinema shows during the summer. * ''

Accademia dei Risvegliati The Accademia dei Risvegliati was a brotherhood founded in Pistoia (Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Floren ...

'' * ''Palazzo Rospigliosi'' ** ''

Palazzo Rospigliosi a Via del Duca A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

'' ** ''

Palazzo Rospigliosi a Ripa del Sale The Palazzo Rospigliosi a Ripa del Sale or Rospigliosi sulla Ripa is a former aristocratic palace located at Via Ripa del Sale number 3 in central Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy. The location is in a small alley adjacent to the Pistoia Cathedral, within ...

'' * ''Monument in Honour of Brazilians,'' soldiers and pilots killed in action during the Italian Campaign of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

* Brazilian Military Cemetery

Sport

;Football The city's football team

US Pistoiese 1921 Football Club Pistoiese SSD, commonly known as Pistoiese, is an Italian association football club, based in Pistoia, Tuscany. Currently, Pistoiese plays in Serie D. Originally founded on 21 April 1921, the club has also played Serie A on a num ...

plays in Serie D, the fourth flight of Italian football. ;Basketball The city's basketball team

Pistoia Basket 2000 A.S. Pistoia Basket 2000, known for sponsorship reasons as Giorgio Tesi Group Pistoia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Pistoia, Tuscany. History The city of Pistoia was formerly represented in the first division Lega Basket Ser ...

plays in Serie A1.

Transportation

Buses

Consorzio Pistoiese Trasporti, also known as COPIT, was a company that operated since 1969 the local public transport in Pistoia and in its

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

. It was transformed as in 2000 with private and public capital, mainly by the fifteen

Comuni A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

, where operated and 30% by CTT Nord. Since 2005 made part in two consortium: BluBus and PiùBus, the first operated in the

Province of Pistoia The province of Pistoia () is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pistoia and the province is landlocked. It has an area of and a total population of 291,788 inhabitants (as of 2015). There are 22 ''comuni'' (: ...

and the other in the

Empoli Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno River, Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Ancient Ro ...

area. Since 1 November 2021 the public local transport is managed by

Autolinee Toscane Autolinee Toscane S.p.A. (also known as at) is a private Italian-French company, wholly owned by RATP Dev, active in the local public transport sector. It manages several urban and suburban bus lines in Tuscany for a total of 1.7 million kilomet ...

Train

The

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

is located on the Viareggio–Florence railway and it is at the southern end of the Porrettana railway, the original line between Florence and

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

Notable residents

* Meo Abbracciavacca, 14th century poet *

Enrico Betti Enrico Betti Glaoui (21 October 1823 – 11 August 1892) was an Italian mathematician, now remembered mostly for his 1871 paper on topology that led to the later naming after him of the Betti numbers. He worked also on the theory of equations ...

Mauro Bolognini Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director. Early years Bolognini was born in Pistoia, in the Tuscany region of Italy. After earning a master's degree in architecture at the University of Florence, Bol ...

, film director *

Giosuè Carducci Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci (27 July 1835 – 16 February 1907) was an Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher. He was noticeably influential, and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906, he became ...

Cino da Pistoia Cino da Pistoia (1270 – 1336) was an Italian jurist and poet. He was the university teacher of Bartolus de Saxoferrato and a friend and intellectual influence on Dante Alighieri. Life Cino was born in Pistoia, Tuscany. His full name was ' ...

Pope Clement IX Pope Clement IX (; ; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669. Giulio Rospigliosi was born into the noble Ro ...

Ippolito Desideri Ippolito Desideri, SJ (21 December 1684 Pistoia, Grand Duchy of Tuscany – 14 April 1733 Rome, Papal States) was an Italian Jesuit missionary and traveller and the most famous of the early European missionaries who founded Catholic Church in ...

Renato Fondi Renato Fondi (1887–1929) was an Italian poet, writer and music critic. Fondi was born in Pistoia. He was active in the city until the years of the First World War, and was President of the choral society Theodule Mabellini. He contributed t ...

Niccolò Fortiguerra Niccolò Fortiguerra (also spelled Forteguerri) (1419 — 1473) was an Italian papal legate, military commander, and Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal. Born at Pistoia, he was related to Pope Pius II and is counted as a cardinal-nephew. He had a d ...

, fictional character *

Licio Gelli Licio Gelli (; 21 April 1919 – 15 December 2015) was an Italian Freemason and businessman. A fascist volunteer in his youth, he is chiefly known for his role in the Banco Ambrosiano scandal. He was revealed in 1981 as being the Venerable ...

Lodovico Giustini Lodovico Giustini (12 December 1685 – 7 February 1743) was an Italian composer and keyboard player of the late Baroque and early Classical eras. He was the first known composer ever to write music for the piano. Life Giustini was born in Pist ...

* Marino Marini *

Giovanni Michelucci Giovanni Michelucci (2 January 1891 – 31 December 1990) was an Italian architect, urban planner and designer. He had the good fortune to live a long life almost entirely within the span of the twentieth century, giving us a valuable witness th ...

* Maria Maddalena Morelli *

Filippo Pacini Filippo Pacini (25 May 1812 – 9 July 1883) was an Italian anatomist, posthumously famous for isolating the cholera bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae'' in 1854, well before Robert Koch's more widely accepted discoveries 30 years later. Pacini was bor ...

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

International relations

Twin towns - sister cities

Pistoia is twinned with: *

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...

, Serbia * Pau, France (1975) *

Zittau Zittau (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, Upper Lusatian dialect: ''Sitte''; ) is the southeasternmost city in the Germany, German state of Saxony, and belongs to the Görlitz (district), district of Görlitz, Germany's easternmost Districts of Germ ...

, Germany

References

Sources

David Herlihy David Joseph Herlihy (May 8, 1930 – February 21, 1991) was an American historian who served as the president of the American Historical Association. He wrote on medieval and renaissance life, and was married to fellow historian Patricia Herlih ...

. ''Medieval and Renaissance Pistoia: the social history of an Italian town''.

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day and Clarence Day, grandsons of Benjamin Day, and became a department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and ope ...

, 1967.

External links

Comune of Pistoia

Pistoia Blues Festival

Virtual tour of the city
{{Authority control Cities founded by Rome