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The Doganaccia skiing area

Standing on the Croce Arcana slopes in the Pistoia Mountains, the Doganaccia skiing area has 15 km of downhill slopes, with pistes for both alpine and cross-country skiing.

Within the municipality of Abetone Cutigliano, in the heart of the Pistoiese Mountains, the Doganaccia Ski Area is a small, welcoming resort, ideal for families and for those taking their first steps on skis. It offers about 15 km of slopes, mainly easy and intermediate, with three runs lit for night skiing. The area is equipped with mountain huts and refreshment points and offers a wide range of services: equipment…

Abetone Cutigliano

Abetone Val di Luce skiing area

Standing right on the border between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, the Abetone Val di Luce area has 50 km of downhill slopes and 17 installations including ski lifts, ski tows, cable cars and treadmills.

The Abetone–Val di Luce ski area, located in the municipality of Abetone Cutigliano in the heart of the Pistoia Mountains, is a premier destination for ski and winter sports enthusiasts. Its peaks, ranging from 1,200 to 1,950 metres above sea level, offer wide, striking panoramas and an ever-changing landscape. It is the largest ski area in central Italy, renowned for the quality of its slopes and for a territory that…

Abetone Cutigliano

Astronomical Observatory of the Pistoia Mountains

The constellations, the Moon, the planets, the stars, and, by day, the Sun are the most admired celestial objects by visitors.

Due to its highly advanced, technological instruments, the Astronomical Observatory of the Pistoia Mountains has been able to discover many new asteroids and meteors. It is the home of the GAMP - Gruppo Astrofili Montagna Pistoiese, a group of amateur astronomers. Visitors can scrutinize the stars thanks to two 5-metre-wide domes, which rotate at 360°, and to two 40 and 60 centimetres wide telescopes. Opening Hours From September 1st to June…

All year on reservation

San Marcello Piteglio

Pistoia Sotterranea

The path winds under the city of Pistoia, in the tunnel where the Brana river flowed until the 14th century.

Pistoia Sotterranea is a fascinating guided archaeological tour that winds under the city and allows you to discover its history from another point of view, in particular exploring the various activities related to the use of water in the ancient city. The route is located inside the Spedale del Ceppo of Pistoia, the former hospital complex founded, according to tradition, in 1277, today one of the city’s civic museums. The…

Every day

Pistoia

Fattoria di Celle and Gori Collection

The park of the historical, 15th century, monumental Villa, holds a collection of 80 works of environmental art.

In the district of Santomato at Pistoia, stands the Fattoria di Celle, a historical, 15th century, monumental villa which holds an extraordinary private collection of environmental art, the Gori Collection. Opened to the public in 1982, every year this fascinating place welcomes endless visitors - who have all made a booking - from May to September. The collection has 80 works of environmental art, which can be appreciated by walking…

By reservation

Pistoia

Policarpo Petrocchi Literary Park

The 'Parco Letterario Policarpo Petrocchi' – the Policarpo Petrocchi Literary Park – commemorates Policarpo Petrocchi, a famous writer and lexicographer, born right in Castello di Cireglio.

Castello di Cireglio stands a few miles out of Pistoia, surrounded by the luxuriant Pistoia Mountains. The village – in winter only 80 people live here – livens up in summer thanks to events which attract many visitors, without however losing its authenticity. This village is also famous for being the birthplace of Policarpo Petrocchi (1852-1902), writer and lexicographer, and author of an important Italian dictionary, published in two volumes…

Pistoia

San Giovanni in corte baptistery

It is one of Pistoia's undisputed symbols as well as being one of the monuments which render the Cathedral Square truly unique. It is also considered to be one of the finest examples of Tuscan Gothic art.

TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE WORKS This wonderful Gothic building, built in the middle of the 14th century over the remains of an even older church, stands in the Duomo Square, in front of the Cathedral of Saint Zeno. Its name was derived from the ancient church of Santa Maria in Corte, over which it was built, dating back to the Lombardic era. Its reconstruction, with its octagonal base, into the…

Pistoia

Monumental Santa Barbara Fortress complex

The history of the fortress is linked to the events of Pistoia's Risorgimento (the period leading towards the unification of Italy) and stores graffiti, writings and drawings in black charcoal and bright red chalk, made by patriotic prisoners.

The Medicean Fortress of Santa Barbara is an important example of 16th century military architecture and was made under the designs of Nanni Unghero, Giovanni Battista Bellucci, called Il Sanmarino, and Bernardo Buontalenti. Its construction was a part of Cosimo the First’s territorial policy but its origins date back to the first decades of the 14th century, during the Florentine Republic’s supremacy, which also accounts for other, still legible, features such as the great central…

Pistoia

San Desiderio oratory

The building appears as a bare, rectangular prayer hall with a gabled roof, and it houses a 16th century fresco by Sebastiano Vini.

The former San Desiderio oratory was originally a church for a convent of Benedictine nuns, dating back to 1084. In 1440, Pope Eugenio IV suppressed the convent, and it was then converted into a hospital designed to aid pilgrims and wayfarers. In 1516, the building went back to being a convent, this time for Franciscan nuns, until it was again suppressed, this time by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo and by the Bishop of…

Pistoia

The Saint Zeno Cathedral Bell Tower

The Saint Zeno Cathedral Bell Tower stands sixty-six metres high up in the sky. A truly unforgettable experience is to climb up to the top from where you can admire a wonderful panoramic view over the whole city.

In the Cathedral Square, the Saint Zeno Cathedral Bell Tower proudly towers above the city. Its present structural condition dates to its original 12th-century reconstruction, and which was then partially modified several times over the years. The mixture of styles – Lombardic in the lower section with the Pisa-Lucca style in the two-toned little loggias – and the use of diverse building materials, such as green marble, often also called…

Pistoia

Palazzo Comunale

The ancient seat of government of the city maintains this function still today.

The Palazzo di Giano, also known as Palazzo degli Anziani, is symbol of municipal power. It was established as the city’s seat of government, a function it maintains still today. The earliest work is traced back to 1294. The current form dates to work carried out in the mid-14th century. Inside is the City Museum of Antique Art that exhibits mainly paintings on wood panels and on canvas, sculptures, and…

Villa La Magia

On the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the serial site "The Medici Family's Villas and Gardens in Tuscany".

Villa La Magia is one of the most representative homes in the Quarrata area and is one of the most prestigious buildings in Montalbano. Since June 2013, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the serial site "The Medici Family's Villas and Gardens in Tuscany". The historical events of the Magia property demonstrate how its destiny and evolution over time were both inextricably connected to the events that…

Quarrata

Villa Smilea

A historic residence in Montale, originally built as a 14th-century fortress, now transformed into a vibrant cultural space hosting exhibitions and events.

Villa Smilea is a historic residence in Montale and one of the town’s most recognizable landmarks — a place that is still vibrant today, where culture becomes an opportunity for gathering and connection. According to tradition, its name derives from the popular Latin expression sex milea (“six miles”), referring to its distance from Pistoia. The origins of Villa Smilea date back to the second half of the 14th century, when…

Montale

Piazza della Sala

This was the city’s ancient centre under Lombard rule. The square later went on to assume and consolidate its commercial function. In the Piazza dell’Ortaggio, standing next to the Piazza della Sala, we can see a very unusual bronze sculpture, the “Giro del Sole” by Roberto Barni.

Piazza della Sala belongs to the oldest part of the town, the part that includes various sacred buildings which offer evidence to the centrality of religion in Pistoia’s history. This was the city’s ancient centre under Lombard rule. The square later went on to assume and consolidate its commercial function, which it retains to this day. The powerful Opera di San Jacopo promoted and controlled all the workings of the…

Duomo square

The artistic and historical heart of Pistoia, that encloses the most emblematic buildings of the city.

The Duomo square is dominated by the bell tower which was constructed around a pre-existing Longobard tower. Anyone who climbs its 67 metres and 200 steps is rewarded with a wonderful 360-degree view of the city. The Cathedral of San Zeno is a remarkable building in the Pisan Romanesque style, dating back to 1000 A.D. it offers a wonderful vantage point of the Piazza. Just next to the Cathedral, stands the Antico Palazzo…

Pistoia

Zoological Gardens of Pistoia

The mission: to be a center that raises public awareness of biodiversity and its value to human life.

The Zoological Gardens of Pistoia is a 7-hectares zoo with more than 400 animals and is in continuous expansion. In a captivating world you will get to know the animals, the different ways to protect them, and you will learn how to respect the planet. Thanks to its size and importance of its educational and conservation activities, this park has become one of the main zoological institutions in Italy. The park…

Everyday

Pistoia