Sambuca Pistoiese

Since the Middle Ages, Sambuca Pistoiese, on the border between Tuscany and Emilia, has been a contact point, with churches, monasteries and hospices built along the Via Francesca della Sambuca.

With plentiful evidence of sandstone processing and utilization, the Sambuca Pistoiese area is part of the Ecomuseum of Montagna Pistoiese circuit, along with the educational centre in Francesco Guccini’s hometown of Pavana; the Stone Tour along the Via Francesca between Pavana and Sambuca Castello; and a visit to the quarries in Torri.

Not to be missed: Sambuca Castle was built in the mid-11th century as a control post, playing a strategic role in the centuries-old disputes between Bologna and Pistoia. The remains of its walls are incorporated into the rectory and the Church of San Giacomo Maggiore. The very evocative village of Torri, with its narrow, stone-paved streets, was an important stronghold of the defensive system in this part of the mountains.