routes / Out of town
Cycling through the Pistoia Hills
A pleasant itinerary for everyone
Pistoia
An easy bike tour suitable for everyone, starting from the beautiful Piazza del Duomo in Pistoia and leading you through villages and olive groves.
Stages Itinerary
Duomo square
Pistoia
TAPPA 1
Duomo square
The artistic and historical heart of Pistoia, that encloses the most emblematic buildings of the city.
Cathedral of San Zeno
Pistoia
TAPPA 2
Cathedral of San Zeno
The splendid Cathedral of San Zeno in the Piazza del Duomo immediately surrounds you in an ancient atmosphere of sincere religious worship. You can admire the marquetry on the Silver Altar and the Relic of Saint James kept inside a valuable Reliquary which is a masterpiece of the goldsmith Lorenzo Ghiberti. Outside the Cathedral, two symbols are very important to pilgrims: the Compass Rose, in which the pilgrim's scallop shell, the badge of the pilgrim, is set, and the cippo jacopeo, the boundary stone of St. James, which shows the distance from Pistoia to Santiago de Compostela.
Palazzo Comunale
Pistoia
TAPPA 3
Palazzo Comunale
The Town Hall is the ancient seat of government of the city maintains this function still today.
Inside is the Civic Museum of Antique Art that presents Pistoia’s entire artistic history from the 13th to the 20th century. In the Town Hall stands the sculpture by the eclectic artist, Marino Marini, “Il Miracolo”, "The Miracle". This work is of a rider with his horse and can be seen to be in line with the intensive dramas which characterize the contemporary art of this Pistoia artist.
San Giovanni in corte baptistery
Pistoia
TAPPA 4
San Giovanni in corte baptistery
Questo prezioso edificio gotico costruito alla metà del XIV secolo sui resti di una più antica chiesa, si trova nella piazza del Duomo, di fronte alla Cattedrale di San Zeno.
Il nome deriva dall’antica chiesa di Santa Maria in Corte, di epoca longobarda. È considerato tra le massime espressioni del gotico pistoiese e toscano. L’esterno è interamente rivestito di marmo bianco e verde proveniente da Siena, Prato e Carrara. Raggiunge un’altezza di circa 40 metri. Il restauro del 1975 ha messo in luce nel fonte battesimale la data del 1226 e il nome dello scultore, Lanfranco da Como.
Church of San Francesco
Pistoia
TAPPA 5
Church of San Francesco
The vast monasterial complex of the Church of San Francesco is a wonderful work of architecture dating back to the 13th century. Inside, and crossing its one sole nave, are the main chapel's frescoes which tell the Story of San Francesco, in an extremely beautiful, pictorial style.
Valdibrana
Pistoia
TAPPA 6
Valdibrana
A small hamlet of Pistoia, known for its railway station along the Porrettana line and its launch track. Nearby is the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Valdibrana, built in 1650 on the site of a small oratory that, since the late 14th century, had housed a miraculous image of the Virgin.
Villa Puccini di Scornio
Pistoia
TAPPA 7
Villa Puccini di Scornio
Known as "Villon Puccini," this neoclassical villa was frescoed in the first half of the 18th century by the finest painters of the Florentine court. At its peak, it spanned 123 hectares and boasted one of the largest and most beautiful Italian-style gardens of its time. Today, it remains a green oasis located just a few kilometres from the centre of Pistoia. Within the park, there are facilities for five-a-side football, basketball, volleyball, and a play area for children.
