Pistoia

At the site of the city, at first there was an Etruscan settlement, which became in the IV century. BC e. Roman colony.

January 5, 62 BC e. the army of the conspirator Catilina was defeated by the government forces of Qu. Metella and Consul Anthony , and he himself fell in battle. The city arose on the site of the camp of the broken army.

The medieval town reached its heyday, being the residence of the king of the Lombards : privileges were granted to the city, income from trade brought significant profits, art began to develop, it even minted its own gold coin. At the end of the 7th century, the first circle of city walls was built, fragments of which still exist next to the Piazza Duomo. At the beginning of the XII century, Pistoia was the largest art center in Tuscany. In 1117 , Pistoia became a free city, in 1144 a second ring of city walls was erected.

In 1254 , Gibellin Pistoia was taken by Guelph Florence for the first time, in the XIV century it was captured by Castruccio Castraccani for a short period, in 1401 Pistoia was finally annexed to the Florentine lands.

Plant nurseries:

Pistoia is a gardening center, the city is famous for its plant nurseries, which specialize in the production of ornamental plants for outdoor use, for public and private green areas. Pistoi nurseries are the most important economic activity in the city. Most of the sales are exported to Europe, although requests come from Italy itself, as well as from countries outside Europe. Pistoi nurseries account for about 25% of the total production of ornamental plants in Italy.

Engineering:

Hitachi Rail SpA (formerly Hitachi Rail Italy) of the Hitachi Group specializes in the construction of rolling stock. The company emerged as a result of the evolution of AnsaldoBreda, the most important Italian brand in the railway sector, whose history goes back more than 100 years ago. Hitachi Rail SpA offers a very wide range of products: regional double-decker trains, high-speed trains, subway trains without a driver (in this area it is a world leader and occupies about 30% of the global market).

Every summer, in the beginning of July, starting from 1980, the famous Pistoia Blues Festival is held in Pisto, concerts of which are held in the evening at Piazza del Duomo. In the rest of the city, various entertainment events are held, there are awnings with all kinds of artisans and stalls with street food.

Another important event in the cultural life of the city is the Bear Tournament ( Giostra dell'Orso ).

This knightly tournament was conceived as a tribute to St. James and is held on July 25, when the day of the patron saint of St. James is celebrated. The prize in such competitions was originally a piece of precious, richly decorated fabric, the so-called "palio", from where the name of such events ( Palio di Pistoia ) came from, which literally means "competition between city districts or territorial entities." The Palio Pistoi or the Bear Tournament is held between the 4 historical districts of the city, the Rione , which have their own distinctive colors and signs. The goal (target for hitting) in the tournament is the so-called “bear” (perhaps in the past it was a real bear). In addition, the bear is the heraldic emblem of Pistoia, so the “Palio of St. Jacob” in 1947 received the official name “Bear Tournament”.

Feast of St. Bartholomew (San Bartolomeo) - August 24.

Pistoia is the only Tuscan city that gives a special place to the cult of the Apostle Bartholomew as a patron and protector of children. Since ancient times, the inhabitants of Pistoia have loved this holiday very much, and every year they fill the church of San Bartolomeo in order to take part in religious services and the ritual of anointing for receiving blessings. The square in front of the church, also named after the saint, and the nearby streets are filled with many stalls with sweets and toys, various entertainments and games are offered for children.

In 2017, Pistoia was chosen by the Italian cultural capital (Capitale italiana della cultura).

Zoo

Pistoi Zoological Park, which was founded in 1970 by Raffaello Galardini, is located on 7 hectares of land and is constantly expanding. Due to its size and ongoing educational activities for the conservation of endangered species of animals, the park is one of the main zoological structures of this kind in Italy. It is home to more than 400 species of animals, including mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and invertebrates, including lemurs from Madagascar, lions, tigers, wolves, Indian elephants, giraffes and brown bears.

The zoo is one of the founders of UIZA ( Italian Union of Zoos and Aquariums ) and a member of EAZA ( European Association of Zoos and Aquariums ). He participates in international programs aimed at the conservation of endangered species of animals and coordinated by EAZA. In addition, he carries out research projects in collaboration with some Italian universities, educational programs aimed at preserving the habitat of the origin of species present in zoological gardens, and also provides support to communities living in disadvantaged areas.

Library of San Giorgio (Biblioteca San Giorgio)

This library is one of the largest public libraries in Tuscany. It was opened on April 23, 2007 in the presence of Nobel Prize winner in literature Dario Fo . The library fund has more than 160,000 items, including books, periodicals and multimedia materials.

According to some, it was in Pistoe, where weapons workshops flourished, that the first pistols appeared in the middle of the 16th century. And the term "gun" came from the name of the city. But various studies and the official etymology of the word “gun” are based on slightly different data.

Torre di Catilina The only tower that has survived from the first ring of walls, erected in the VII century. The urban legend says that in this place in 62 BC. e. at the battle of Pistoria , the Roman patrician, the head of the famous conspiracy, Catilina , died.

Piazza del Duomo This place was the main square of the Etruscan settlement, as evidenced by the Etruscan sarcophagi found during excavations. Nowadays, several large and significant palaces overlook the cathedral square, but its main decoration is the baptistery and the cathedral.

Battistero di San Giovanni in Corte The octagonal Baptistery was built on the ruins of the church by the master Cellino di Nese (designed by Niccolo Pisano ) in the 14th century. The facade is made of white-green marble. Above the entrance is a semicircular portal with sculptural images of the Madonna and Child, Saint Jacopo and Saint Peter. The portal is decorated below with a stone border with scenes from the life of the saints, from above - a triangular pediment with a socket and carving. The dome of the Baptistery from within is striking in the grandeur of the design. The font was made in 1226 by Lanfranco da Como and, like the gilded wooden altar of the 16th century, was moved here from the Madonna dell'Umilta church, whose huge dome rises above the city (according to another version, the font was transferred from the old Church of Santa Maria, standing on this very spot). The statue of John the Baptist is made by the master Andrea Vacca from Carrara marble in 1724.

Campanile Opposite the Baptistery is the cathedral with the Campanile . The tower was built in the Romanesque style in the XII century on the site of the older Lombard tower and reaches 67 meters in height. The upper part of the bell tower is designed in the style of this part of the square: arched galleries with columns, trimmed with white and green marble. The bells performed not only the role of a clock, beating the exact time, but also warned the townspeople about the danger. Climbing 200 steps, you can see the city from a bird's flight.

Fortezza Santa-Barbara Surrounded by a park, Santa Barbara Fortress is located in the southeastern part of the city. It was built in the 16th century on the site of a medieval fortress by order of Cosimo I of Medici and at various times, in addition to its direct purpose, was used as a hut, military prison and parade ground.

Chiesa di San Giovanni Fuorcivitas Old Church (XII-XIV centuries), whose name literally translates as "St. John outside the city, ”built of red brick. On one side, the wall of the church is completely lined with white-green marble and decorated with arcades. Above the entrance is a Roman relief depicting the Last Supper by Gruamonte. In the twilight you can see a polychrome wooden crucifix of the XII century, murals of the XIV century, the terracotta “Test” of 1445 by Luca della Robia . A very beautiful holy water bowl with figures of Virtues carved in marble, made by Giovanni Pisano , and a pulpit decorated with relief scenes from the New Testament, is the work of the leaning sculptor Gugielmo da Pisa, 1270.

Near the city is the abolished Franciscan monastery of the 15th century , put up for sale in 2015 ^{[2] [3]} .

Population dynamics:

•   Zittau , Germany 1971
•   Shirakawa , Japan 1994
•   Pau , France 1975

• A. J. Fronzoni (1923-2002), better known as AG Fronzoni - designer, teacher
• Mauro Bologini (1922 - 2001) - film director, one of the classics of Italian cinema.
• Tommaso Gerardi del Testa (1814-1881) - Italian writer, poet, playwright.
• Petracci, Franco (born 1937) - Italian double bass player, conductor, music teacher.
• Silouan (Livi) (born 1947) - Bishop of the Greek old-style jurisdiction " Synod of Opposing "
• Marino Marini (02/27/1901 - 08/06/1980) - Italian artist, sculptor, engraver.
• The Italian historian, philologist, paleontologist and archivist Francesco Bonaini (d. 1874) spent the last days of his life in a villa near the city ^[4] .
• Chino da Pistoia (Cino da Pistoia) or Guittonchino di Ser Francesco dei Sigibuldi (Pistoia, 1270 - Pistoia, 1336/1337) - poet, lawyer.

• Brazilian military cemetery in Pisto

• Official site of the settlement (Italian)
• [1] (Italian)
• Description of the city, history and photographs (Russian)
• National Institute of Statistics
• https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storia_di_Pistoia
• http://pistoia.guidatoscana.it/storia-arte-cultura/default.asp
• http://www.pistoia.cc/storia_di_pistoia.htm
• https://www.comune.pistoia.it/1961/La-storia-di-Pistoia-dalle-origini-al-1351
•   Pistoia Wikimedia Commons Media Files