Pescha

Pesca is an Italian community famous for its Flower Market and the Adventures of Pinocchio ( Carlo Collodi ). It is halfway between Lucca and Florence . This is a commune of the province of Pistoi , area: 79 km². The city is located on the banks of the Pesha River .

The city stands out for its two centers. The historic center, with the castle and the ancient square, is located on the left bank of the river . It is also the center of public life of the city. The religious center with the cathedral is located on the right bank of the river.

The city is surrounded by small villages located on the Peshatinsky mountains. Jean Charles Sismondi called the Peshatins mountains "Peshatinsky Switzerland", alluding to their similarity with the Swiss landscapes. All these villages are similar to each other: everyone has (or had) walls, a small church and a tower that has always become the bell tower of the church. These villages are called: Medicina , Fibbialla , Aramo , San Quirico , Castelvecchio , Styappa , Pontito , Sorana , Vellano and Petrabuona . Other villages of the commune are Kollodi , Veneri , Alberga and Kyodo .

The most important buildings are Palazzo Palace , Della Barba Palace , Cathedral , Commune Palace and the Library. Another important building is the Old Flower Market ( 1951 ) for its modern architecture.

The population is mainly engaged in the cultivation of flowers ( carnations ) and the production of paper . The flower trade brought the city not only financial prosperity, but also world fame. Peshinsky flowers are known all over the world. (it is called "City of Flowers"). It is enough to recall the relationship that Pesha established with Belgium . Paper production is very old, but many paper mills today still produce good quality paper and sell it all over Italy. Petrabuon houses the Paper Museum .

Pesha is an important educational center in its area. There are three technical schools in the city: commercial, land and graphic-tourist technical schools, and four lyceums: classical, scientific, linguistic and psycho-pedagogical lyceum.

According to some archaeological finds, the first settlement on the banks of the Pesh river was founded by the Lombards . The name of the city comes from the Lombard word, which means " river ."

In the XIII century, the city ​​was captured and destroyed by Lucca , but then rebuilt. Later, Florence and Lucca fought for the city, since Pescha was on the border between these republics. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, Pesha was attacked by Pisa , but resisted. Finally, in 1338 the city ​​was annexed to the possessions of the Florentine Republic . At that time, the city’s economy was based on the cultivation of mulberry and silkworm , the cocoons of which one Peshatinsky monk secretly brought from the East to Europe .

At the end of the 17th century, the Grand Duke of Tuscany declared Pescu a Tuscan city. At the end of the XVIII century, the passage of Napoleon’s troops through the city caused significant damage to the city’s economy. During Napoleonic rule, the silk industry of Pesci was supplanted by the cultivation of sugarcane .

The bombing during World War II destroyed Peshu very much, but the city soon recovered. After the war, the Old and New flower markets were built, allowing Pesha's floriculture to enter the international arena.

• Mayor: Roberta Marka, since June 2009.

• Edoardo Fanucci is a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from the Democratic Party .

• Paper Museum in Petrabuon