Our touristic tour of Pistoia begins from Piazza del Duomo, a square that houses many treasures and every year hosts the "Giostra dell`Orso". The cathedral of San Zeno with its Baptistery, the 14th-century Palazzo Pretorio and the unmistakable Torre Catilina are just some of the monuments that overlook the Roman-Gothic square.

Walking on along the narrow streets of Pistoia historic centre, you arrive at the Ospedale del Ceppo, which today has become an original museum, or at the "mercato della Sala", which in the Middle Ages was already Pistoia most important trade area.

Plants and flowers of any kind surround the city`s historic centre. As can be easily infered from the names of the surrounding villages (Pescina, Acqualonga and so on), the province of Pistoia has a highly developed nursery-gardening vocation. But that is not all.

Up in the Apennines, in the region that the inhabitants proudly call "Montagna Pistoiese" (Pistoia mountain region), there is Abetone, a famous tourist destination where you can ski in the winter and do some nordic walking in the summer.

South-east of Pistoia stretches Fucecchio Marshes nature reserve, one of the symbols of the Tuscan naturalistic heritage.

Tourists under 18 can visit the Zoo Città di Pistoia and the public park dedicated Pinocchio, the most famous puppet in the world. The park is situated in Collodi, in the municipality of Pescina. In Collodi there is also Villa Garzoni, one of the most elegant Tuscan villas .

Our tour of Pistoia and its province ends with three other tips. In your block notes, at the page "Things to do on vacation" write down: 1) "Visit the Chocolate Valley"; 2) "Visit Montecatini and Monsummano and their thermal baths"; 3) if you visit Pistoia between June and July, "Buy a ticket for Pistoia Blues".