Discover Pistoia, Italy, one of Tuscany’s most overlooked medieval cities and an easy day trip from Florence.
In this episode of Immersion Travel Italy, we continue our Italian Masterpiece Series and our journey through Medieval Italy: Faith, Pilgrimage, and Civic Life. After visiting Padua and Siena, we travel to Pistoia, a compact Tuscan city filled with medieval architecture, extraordinary works of art, pilgrimage traditions, historic cafés, local food, and one of the most beautiful piazzas in Tuscany.
We begin with the story of San Jacopo, or Saint James the Apostle, whose relic arrived in Pistoia in 1145 and connected the city to the great medieval pilgrimage tradition of Santiago de Compostela.
Then we explore Piazza del Duomo, Pistoia’s medieval masterpiece, where the Cathedral of San Zeno, its soaring campanile, the striped marble Baptistery of San Giovanni in Corte, the Bishop’s Palace, and Palazzo Comunale bring together the religious and civic life of the medieval city.
Inside the cathedral, we discover the magnificent Silver Altar of San Jacopo, one of Italy’s great works of medieval metalwork, including contributions by a young Filippo Brunelleschi before he created the famous dome of Florence Cathedral.
We also uncover Pistoia’s fascinating political history, from the powerful Cancellieri and Panciatichi families to the White and Black Guelfs, Dante and Vanni Fucci, and the eventual rise of Florentine and Medici influence.
Along the way, we visit the extraordinary Giovanni Pisano pulpit at Sant’Andrea, San Giovanni Fuorcivitas, the Basilica of the Madonna dell’Umiltà, and Pistoia’s historic streets and markets.
And, of course, we experience Pistoia through its food and traditions, including carcerato, brigidini, the feast of San Jacopo, and the spectacular Giostra dell’Orso, the historic jousting competition that transforms Piazza del Duomo every July.
I’ll also take you through a practical day in Pistoia, beginning at the train station with coffee at historic Caffè Valiani 1831, lunch at La Nicchia sulla Sala, and gelato at Una Mole di Gelato.
Pistoia is only about 35 minutes by train from Florence, yet it offers something increasingly difficult to find in Tuscany: extraordinary art, architecture, history, and traditions in a historic center that still feels wonderfully local.
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Next week, we continue Medieval Italy: Faith, Pilgrimage, and Civic Life in Pisa, where we’ll go beyond the Leaning Tower to explore the powerful medieval maritime republic that created the extraordinary Piazza dei Miracoli.
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