 CITIES |
 NEWSPAPERS
& MAGAZINES |
| LINKS
|
| USEFUL
SITES |
| TELEPHONE
BOOK |
| EDITORIAL
STAFF |
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
DISCOVERING
THE Cities
The
itinerary to discover Pistoia starts inevitably from Piazza
del Duomo, the artistic and historical heart of the Cities, where,
apart from the Cattedrale you find the Battistero,
the Palazzo Vescovile, the Palazzo Pretorio and
the Palazzo Comunale. |
The surroundings of Pistoia |
| .. |
|
The Duomo
di Pistoia, dedicated to San Zeno, was raised in the 10th
century and rebuilt during the Romanesque period, while the
main façade with three loggias and a portico are dated
from the 14th century. The curious bell tower is Longobard and
was transformed into Torre Civica Civica in the 13th
century and got the actual appearance in the 16th century. The
Duomo of Pistoia preserves artistic works of great value, first
of all the Altare di San Jacopo, in the chapel with the
same name. Beside the Duomo you have the Battistero di Pistoia,
designed by Andrea Pisano and completed in the 14th century.
It is a sober building banded in white and green marble that
houses a beautiful Romanesque font from 1200. The Palazzo
Vescovile, at the Piazza del Duomo was recently restructured
and is definitely worth a visit, in particular the Museo
Capitolare housed in the building, which displays a vast
collection of Gothic gold-works, church ornaments from the Renaissance
and the Baroque period, relics and religious items. The Palazzo
Pretorio, Pretorio also dates from the 14th century, the
former court-house of Pistoia. Strolling along Ripa del Sale,
you reach the Palazzo Rospigliosi, from the 16th century
which houses the museum with the same name and features a vast
collection of Baroque art works, and the Museo Diocesano.
 The
later preserves church ornaments, religious texts, miniatures
and gold-works from the all the surrounding Dioceses. Visit
the Chiesa di San Bartolomeo in Pantano, built, as indicated
by its name, on a marsh. The Romanesque façade is very
suggestive, characterised by blind arcades and marble relieves.
A short walk along Via delle Pappe leads you to Ospedale
del Ceppo, an appreciated hospital especially in the 14th
century. The marvellous loggia was added in the 16th century
and is adorned with ceramics from the workshop of Della Robbia.
A curious example of science in the past can be seen in the
Accademia medica, housed in the Ospedale, where antique
surgical instruments are exposed. To be able to visit the Accademia
you must get a special permission from the Ospedale. Following
the same street you will find the Chiesa di Sant’Andrea,
raised in the 8th century but completely rebuilt in the 13th
century, when it got its beautiful façade with two doors.
In the interior you can see the pulpit, a sculpture masterpiece
from the 14th century and the wooden Crucifix by Giovanni Pisano,
to whom the font also is attributed. The itinerary continues
along Via Curtacone e Montanara till the end of the street where
you take Via della Madonna. Here you find the beautiful Basilica
dedicated to the Madonna dell’Umiltà, raised on the older
Chiesa di Santa Maria Forisportam. It is a precious building
from the 16th century, with decorations by Antonio del Pollaiolo,
while Vasari and Ammanati designed the dome, a reference point
visible from any corner of the Cities.  At
this point, you have to walk back and take Via dei Fabbri until
Piazza della Sala the most important remain of the Longobard
culture. Still today the citizens love to come here and the
well from the 15th century is considered a natural meeting point.
From the square you can take one of the small streets towards
Via Cavour to visit the Chiesa di San Giovanni Fuoricivitas,
a building which was raised between the 12th and the 13th century,
without completing the main façade. The side towards
Via Cavour is marvellous, in white and green marble, adorned
with a double loggia with blind arcades. The last churches to
visit are the Chiesa di Sant’Antonio Abate, idecorated
with frescoes, the Chiesa di San Domenico dominated by
a central door attributed to Giovanni Pisano and the Chiesa
di San Paolo, a Romanesque building with Gothic elements.
The visit of Pistoia ends at the Fortezza di Santa Barbara,
raised on the remains of an old castle, built by the Florentines
and destroyed by the inhabitants of Pistoia in 1345.
|
|
|
 |
|
