Exhibitions in Pistoia and the Pistoia Mountains
Pistoia
Art and culture
Pistoia, Italian Book Capital
Pistoia
Looking out for Castagno di Piteccio’s works of art
Pistoia
Not only the Joust of the Bear: a July full of traditions
Pistoia
Pistoia Blues Festival: all that you could wish to know about it
Pistoia
A summer of festivals: events you can’t miss
San Marcello Piteglio, Serravalle Pistoiese, Pistoia, Agliana
Street art in Pistoia and the Pistoia Mountains
Pistoia, San Marcello Piteglio
The zebra-striped churches of Pistoia
Pistoia
Pistoia: a city of records
Pistoia, San Marcello Piteglio
The village of proverbs: Lagacci
Sambuca Pistoiese
On the way to discovering St. James through the art works to be seen in the City Museum of Antique Art
Pistoia
Pistoia and the Jacobean cult
Pistoia
Things that you would never dream of doing in a library
Pistoia
Discovering the mountains near Pistoia along the Porrettana railway route
Pistoia, Sambuca Pistoiese, San Marcello Piteglio
5 Cathedrals to visit along the Cammino di San Jacopo
Pistoia
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Exhibitions in Pistoia and the Pistoia Mountains
Consult the list of exhibitions in Pistoia and the Pistoia Mountains: current shows, upcoming openings, and permanent collections in museums across the area.
Discover exhibitions in Pistoia and the Pistoia Mountains: temporary shows, contemporary art, photography, and itineraries through city museums and local villages. On this page you’ll find an updated list of current exhibitions, with information on venues, opening hours, and visiting details. Must-see From December 24 to September 27 – Pistoia, Museo del Novecento e del Contemporaneo di Palazzo Fabroni Marino Marini. La pittura The museum’s second floor hosts a remarkable…
Pistoia
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Pistoia, Italian Book Capital
More than 1,500 events, innovative projects and initiatives for all ages turn the city into an open cultural laboratory for everyone.
2026 will be the year of Pistoia as Italian Book Capital. This recognition brings with it a rich programme of readings, meetings, cultural projects and initiatives designed to involve the entire city, for a total of more than 1,500 events. The initiatives involve not only the two civic libraries, San Giorgio and Forteguerriana, but also booksellers, publishers, authors, illustrators, reading groups, schools and many other figures from the local book world.…
Pistoia
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Looking out for Castagno di Piteccio’s works of art
To wander about Castagno is a continuous surprise each and every time you come here! This little but large place is always a work in progress.
They peep out of windows, they hide in bushes, they linger behind a corner: in the tiny hamlet of Castagno di Piteccio the works of art 'play' with their visitors who, alighting from the train or leaving their car behind, plunge into its alleys where they often come across lazy cats just waiting patiently for them. Founded in and around 1600, this hamlet is surrounded by hills and mountains that…
Pistoia
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Not only the Joust of the Bear: a July full of traditions
On 25th July, Pistoia celebrates its Patron Saint with traditions, processions in historical costumes and the iconic Giostra dell'Orso – the Joust of the Bear.
On 25th July, the Day of Saint James, alias Saint Jacob (San Jacopo or Giacomo in Italian), Pistoia celebrates its patron saint by dressing up in historical costumes, as the Pistoia people have traditionally been doing for centuries. For one day, the city turns the clock back to the Middle Ages, to the era of noble dames and medieval knights who parade in a procession and who compete against each…
Pistoia
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Pistoia Blues Festival: all that you could wish to know about it
Discover the programme of the 45th edition of the Pistoia Blues Festival 2026: a summer of live music in the heart of Pistoia, featuring leading international artists on the stage in Piazza del Duomo.
Every year, one of Italy's longest-running musical events returns: the Pistoia Blues Festival. Since 1980, the streets of Pistoia have come alive to the sounds of both Italian and international artists. The stage in Piazza del Duomo has hosted numerous musicians and iconic legends of music, such as Carlos Santana, B.B. King, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, and Lou Reed. Each edition offers a unique mix of music legends…
Pistoia
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A summer of festivals: events you can’t miss
From blues to jazz, experimental guitar to soul: a quick guide to summer music festivals in Pistoia, Serravalle Pistoiese, and the Pistoia Mountains.
In summer, squares and open-air theatres fill with music and joy, thanks to major musical events that draw a large and diverse audience each year. The city of Pistoia and the hamlets in the area also transform into open-air stages. Here are the festivals you won't want to miss. Pistoia Blues Festival Since 1980, in July, the striking Piazza del Duomo in the historic heart of Pistoia has been transformed into an…
San Marcello Piteglio, Serravalle Pistoiese, Pistoia, Agliana
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Street art in Pistoia and the Pistoia Mountains
Street art in Pistoia and the Montagna Pistoiese has been reinterpreted with a modern, personal touch. Here’s a guide to the key artists behind these works.
Anyone strolling through the streets of Pistoia can’t help but notice its ancient medieval charm, still alive in every corner of the city. The striped churches in green and white, with their unique architecture and intricate details, tell stories of centuries of history and tradition, while major city landmarks, such as the Palazzo Comunale and the majestic Palazzo dei Vescovi, stand as witnesses to a distant past. However, among the…
Pistoia, San Marcello Piteglio
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The zebra-striped churches of Pistoia
In Pistoia, some churches still stand out today for their green-and-white facades, a distinctive feature that has become emblematic of the city.
Between the 12th and 13th centuries, thanks in part to the arrival of the precious relic of Saint James from Santiago de Compostela, still preserved in the Cathedral of San Zeno, Pistoia experienced a period of flourishing revival. During this time, many medieval churches were expanded and redesigned according to Romanesque style principles, distinguished in this area by a striking use of two-tone color achieved with white Carrara marble and…
Pistoia
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Pistoia: a city of records
Amid unique landmarks, rare works of art, and long-standing events, Pistoia and its Mountain reveal remarkable records—some well-known, others yet to be discovered.
The city of Pistoia boasts remarkable records that make it truly unique. Some of its achievements are world-famous, from iconic landmarks to priceless artefacts and centuries-old traditions, while others await discovery. Here’s a selection of must-see curiosities in the city, plus one from the Pistoiese Mountains. The two-story little theater Dating back to 1707, the Teatrino Gatteschi is a baroque gem hidden in the historic heart of Pistoia within Palazzo…
Pistoia, San Marcello Piteglio
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The village of proverbs: Lagacci
A tiny village, lying on the border between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, is sprinkled and scattered with proverbs, a depositary of ancient wisdom yet which is still relevant today.
On the right side of the Reno Valley in the Sambuca Pistoiese district - a border area between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna - lies Lagacci, a hamlet 710 metres above sea level, surrounded by thick woods. Lagacci was first mentioned in the 1587 Grand Duchy's Real Estate Registry, but it undoubtedly dates back much further. In summer and on lovely autumnal days, the narrow alleys winding around old stone houses…
Sambuca Pistoiese
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On the way to discovering St. James through the art works to be seen in the City Museum of Antique Art
In the City Museum of antique art's exhibition rooms: a way to discover the works of art that depict St. James himself, or that are linked to his cult.
There are 16 of them - paintings on various mountings, sculptures and jewellery as well as items of minor arts, of different dates and of difference provenance; the works of art of the City Museum of Antique Art offer an all-embracing view of St. James' iconography over the centuries. Thanks to these works, you can get to know images and their history, to understand how, over the years, Pistoia art…
Pistoia
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Pistoia and the Jacobean cult
Pistoia's culture - the result of a long tradition of it being at the crossroads between Rome and Santiago - has stayed alive and this can be seen by its traditions,
Pistoia has been linked to the cult of the Apostle Saint James the Greater since 1145, the year in which Bishop Atto brought a fragment of the saint's skull from Santiago de Compostela to Pistoia. The relic is now kept in the Cathedral's Cappella del Giudizio in a beautiful reliquary made by Lorenzo Ghiberti in 1407. The Silver Altar - a masterpiece of goldsmith art - is to be found…
Pistoia
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Things that you would never dream of doing in a library
Culture, wellbeing, amusement, socialization and somebody always ready to help you: the San Giorgio is a very special library indeed.
The San Giorgio is not the usual library; this you can see as soon as you step over its threshold. A large and luminous space, the result of the restoration of the warehouses of the former San Giorgio railway factory. We are in front of the Depot of Historic Trains (directions) and you can see the old engines peeking out from the enclosure, a few yards away from its entrance.…
Pistoia
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Discovering the mountains near Pistoia along the Porrettana railway route
A fascinating journey through history and nature.
Inaugurated in 1864, the Porrettana Railway traverses the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines from Pistoia to Bologna via the spa town of Porretta Terme, after which the railway is named. Designed and built during the Risorgimento (the period leading to the unification of Italy) with an unprecedented engineering effort, for years it was the focal point of the railway network connecting the centre of Italy to the north and south of the Country, and a strategic link…
Pistoia, Sambuca Pistoiese, San Marcello Piteglio
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5 Cathedrals to visit along the Cammino di San Jacopo
Along the historic via Cassia, the Cammino winds through extraordinary areas that are rich in history and connect some of the most beautiful Italian cities of art.
For centuries, Tuscany has been a land of passage: pilgrims and travellers walked the routes to and from Rome, throughout the region. Routes and paths that, even today, are crossed by modern pilgrims like hikers, or those seeking relaxation and tranquillity through contact with nature. In Tuscany, along the historic via Cassia, an itinerary winds through extraordinary areas that are rich in history and connect some of the most beautiful…
Pistoia
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