… so Mia didn’t have to take the train. Firenze is only about an hour and a half from our current hotel, and it would have taken us 45 minutes to the train station. It was a rainy day, despite which we got to her apartment easily. At Mia’s suggestion, on the way back to Barga we stopped to check out the town of Pistoia.
Pistoia was a well-known and ancient city. It was mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy; Michelangelo called the residents of Pistoia the “enemies of heaven” – for reasons unknown. Today it is noted for its azalea gardens and springtime flower shows and markets, all of which won’t take place until next month.
There is one large square in Pistoia, surrounded by impressive buildings. The most beautiful is the Cathedral of San Zeno, built in the 12-13th centuries, and its bell tower, octagonal baptistery, and bishop’s palace.
Unfortunately almost nothing was open. We weren’t sure if it was because it was a Monday afternoon, or if there was some other reason. Pistoia advertises that it has “seven museums within 100 meters,” all located around the Piazza del Duomo – on this afternoon, there were seven closed museums! Other buildings on the same square include an archeological museum and a civic museum. We wandered into the civic museum only to be told by a friendly guard that the museum was closed. After thinking it over, he said there were two rooms he could take us to see, and pulled out two of the largest keys you’ve ever seen outside of a “key to the city” ceremony. He unlocked the council chambers, where the town council meets, and another large civic auditorium. The flag of Pistoia is very striking. The council president sits at the head of the table, and instead of a gavel, wields a bell.
We entered another building on the square called the Tribunale de Pistoia; I have no idea what the building is used for today, but the castle-like and cavernous first floor with its heraldic decorations was impressive.
We were chilly after tramping around in the drizzle and stopped for a delicious hot chocolate. This café or “bar” had an extensive menu of chocolates; when you picked a packet of chocolate, they whipped it up with cream and a frothing machine into a drink that has to be consumed with a spoon. They offered dark, milk and white chocolate options, and would also pair the chocolates with various types of alcohol in a shake.
Outside, we discovered the sun was shining! Perhaps it was just the chocolate… On our walk out of the city, we stepped inside a lovely church with a 59-meter-high dome commissioned by Cosimo I de Medici to Giorgio Vasari. The dome is currently undergoing some serious restoration, and is encased in scaffolding. This has no impact on the interior of the church, which was originally constructed to house a miraculous fresco of the Madonna; in 1490 in the midst of infighting in the region, blood was observed dripping from the forehead of the fresco (see above).
After a little window shopping, we were on our way back to the hotel to rest up for another day.
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