Explorations of a gorgeous medieval Tuscan city.
Northwest of Florence, Pistoia has a lovely medieval city center and a gorgeous cathedral. It’s a fairly typical Tuscan city, but that doesn’t mean its not special. It’s Tuscany after all.
I arrived on a Sunday, market day. The main streets and plazas were full of vendors. However, by lunchtime they all vanished like nothing happened. I went into a museum and came out to not a single market stall. So, I ran around getting new photos of everything. Therefore, below is the places I visited in order, but not the photos.
It looks like the building on the right used to be larger. The facade on the left looks older and same ground floor facade. Confusing.
Piazza della Sala, where you will find the fruits and vegetables on market day.
San Bartolomeo, an 8th century church that was later renovated in the 12th century to its current Romanesque style.
Traces of frescoes were found on the walls during the mid-20th century renovation. The church may have been brightly colored at one point.
San Giovanni Fuoricivitas and its absolutely stunning Romanesque facade. The date of the current appearance of the church is somewhere in 12th-14th centuries.
This church has 13th century frescoes and a giant pulpit. Many of the churches in Pistoia had giant altars like this one.
Cattedrale di San Zeno and its giant bell tower.
Gorgeous Romanesque front.
The cathedral is a cross between Romanesque and Baroque. Interesting combination.
Love the painted wood ceiling and the bits of fresco that have survived.
That’s one very elaborate baptismal font.
A pop of Baroque in the sanctuary.
Back outside in the Piazza del Duomo, where you can find the Gothic Battistero di San Giovanni in Corte from the 14th century opposite from the cathedral.
More of the piazza after the market disappeared.
The adorable Piazzetta Spirito Santo, with the giant dome of the Basilica della Madonna dell’Umiltà in the distance.
Another gorgeous Romanesque church, Sant’Andrea Apostolo.
Oh, look! Another giant pulpit.
San Francesco, a 14th century church with a later facade.
The front of the church reminds me of a couple of churches in Florence.
Some of the little chapels were elaborately decorated in frescoes.
A very yellow tower house.
People come from all over the area to check out Pistoia’s famous Sunday market.
Santi Prospero e Filippo, a very lovely random find.
Neatest part of the church was the apse with a second floor viewing area. It was a bit unexpected.
Finally made it to the Basilica della Madonna dell’Umiltà, the owner of the big dome. This church has a very odd layout. This is the back of the church. To the left is the main church area.
A multi-sided church with a giant dome. Also, very hard to photograph.
I can’t explain why this gorgeous medieval building is now a store. Seems too churchy.
The gorgeous frieze is from the early 16th century. It’s been mostly restored except for the panel on the right. The frieze shows the seven works of mercy.
The museum has collections of antique medical equipment. The main feature is the still complete anatomy theater from the 1780s. Cadavers would be dissected on the marble table as the students watched.
Palazzo della Cassa di Risparmio. I just thought it looks neat.
It’s hard to tell that just a couple of hours before I took this photo, this street was full of market stalls.
Pistoia was a very neat city. There is plenty to do here, from museums to churches. Pistoia is a perfect place to get the experience of a Tuscan city without all of Florence’s crowds.
Check out my next update where I explore the Northern Italian city of Ferrara!
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Start at the beginning of this adventure.
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