The Tuscany you're looking for

For a stay devoted to art, the Pistoia region is the ideal destination. Art treasures can be found everywhere, in the beautiful and authentic old town centres of Pistoia and Pescia, and in the famous spa town of Montecatini with its Art Nouveau buildings in green surroundings, or in the numerous villas, marvellous examples of the harmonious balance between art and nature.

Evidence of a great medieval past can be seen in the many Romanesque churches with their typical green and white marble, scattered throughout the old centre of Pistoia, in particular the Duomo in which can be found the wooden Cross by Coppo di Marcovaldo and the silver altar of San Jacopo, a masterpiece of gothic silverwork, and also in the church of San Francesco in Pescia, with its precious tablet depicting the Saint and stories from his life. Still in the centre of Pistoia, an example from the Renaissance period to be admired is the Basilica della Madonna dell’Umiltà whose large dome is one of the symbols of the city, and from the baroque period, the great altar designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the church of Santo Spirito.

Just as rich in history and art are the towns and villages of the surrounding area, from the villages of Montalbano (Larciano, Lamporecchio, San Baronto) through the most beautiful vineyards and olive groves in Tuscany to the distinctive hamlets both in the green hills of the “Svizzera Pesciatina” and in the shade of the old mountain churches (in Cutigliano, San Marcello, Popiglio and Sambuca).

And finally, contemporary art and architecture can be found throughout the region, one of the richest in Tuscany in important works, including the Fattoria di Celle, an open-air museum of environmental art immersed in green surroundings and the Pinocchio park in Collodi, a masterpiece of contemporary art.