Must-see attractions in Pistoia

  • Antico Palazzo dei Vescovi

    Pistoia

    The bishops' palace, wedged next to the cathedral, provides a fascinating tour of Pistoia's urban history, ranging from touchable scale models of…

  • Cattedrale di San Zeno

    Pistoia

    This cathedral with beautiful Pisan-Romanesque facade safeguards a lunette of the Madonna and Child between two angels by Andrea della Robbia. Its other…

  • Fattoria di Celle

    Pistoia

    A teahouse, an aviary and other romantic 19th-century follies mingle with cutting-edge sculptures and art installations created by top contemporary…

  • Chiesa del Tau

    Pistoia

    This tiny 14th-century chapel, frescoed Gothic-style from top to bottom by the School of Giotto, is a dramatic guardian to Marino Marini's monumental…

  • Palazzo Fabroni

    Pistoia

    Take a breather from the ancient with this airy modern- and contemporary-art museum, host to riveting temporary exhibitions and a permanent collection…

  • Chiesa di Sant'Andrea Apostolo

    Pistoia

    This 12th-century church was built outside the original city walls, hence its windowless (fortified) state. The partly white-and-green striped marble…

  • Museo dello Spedale del Ceppo

    Pistoia

    The beautifully restored facade of this former hospital, operational from 1277 until 2013, stuns with its 16th-century polychrome terracotta frieze by…

  • Pistoia Sotteranea

    Pistoia

    Delve into the underbelly of subterranean Pisa with a one-hour guided trek (in English) of passageways snaking beneath 13th-century hospital Ospedale del…

  • Basilica della Madonna dell'Umiltà

    Pistoia

    For anyone familiar with Florence, it is impossible not to notice the bright red–tiled dome of this 15th-century backstreet church, built by Ventura…

  • Palazzo Buontalenti

    Pistoia

    Sister gallery to Palazzo de' Rossi on the same street, this palazzo is a fine example of 15th-century Tuscan architecture thanks to leading Florentine…

  • Chiesa di San Salvatore

    Pistoia

    Just steps from Piazza del Duomo is this beautiful gem of a Romanesque church, thought to date from the 8th to 10th centuries within the ancient city…

  • Museo Civico

    Pistoia

    Pistoia's Gothic Palazzo Communale is strung with works by Tuscan artists from the 13th to 20th centuries. Don't miss Bernardino di Antonio Detti's…

  • Museo Marino Marini

    Pistoia

    This gallery inside Palazzo del Tau is devoted to Pistoia's most famous modern son, sculptor and painter Marino Marini (1901–80). Dozens of his drawings…

  • Palazzo de' Rossi

    Pistoia

    Modern art from 1900 to 1945 is the focus of seasonal exhibitions at Palazzo de' Rossi, an elegant palazzo built for the wealthy Rossi family…

  • Chiesa di San Giovanni Fuorcivitas

    Pistoia

    Gargantuan black-and-white striped marble facade aside, the star turn of this striking Romanesque church fronting Via Cavour is Luca della Robbia's glazed…

  • Battistero di San Giovanni

    Pistoia

    Across the square from the cathedral is its 14th-century octagonal baptistry, elegantly banded in green-and-white marble to a design by Andrea Pisano. An…

  • Piazzetta degli Ortaggi

    Pistoia

    Don't miss this beautiful small square, with its laid-back cafe life and striking, life-size sculpture of three blindfolded men, Giro di Sole (Around the…

  • Campanile della Cattedrale

    Pistoia

    Scale the sky-high, red-brick campanile (bell tower) of the Cattedrale di San Zeno for a wonderful bird's-eye view of Pistoia's iconic cathedral square…

  • Casa-Studio di Fernando Melani

    Pistoia

    The house studio where Pistoia-born abstract artist Fernando Melandi lived and worked can be visited – a perfect opportunity to view works by the artist…

  • Il Giardino Volante

    Pistoia

    Break between sights with a frolic in this whimsical city park designed by local artists where contemporary works of art mingle with playful slides,…

  • Giro di Sole

    Pistoia

    This striking, life-size sculpture of three blindfolded men (1996) by contemporary Pistoia artist Roberto Barni (b 1939) sits in Piazzetta degli Orgaggi.

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