Walking tours: Discovering Pistoia

Three walking tours offer visitors a chance to (re)discover the hidden, lesser-known Pistoia. The guided tours by archaeologists, historians and art historians were devised especially for Dialogues on Man and the theme of dwellings in Pistoia. They include visits to private houses and spaces not usually open to the public, including Palazzo Panciatichi, Palazzo Buontalenti-Sozzifanti, Palazzo Cancellieri and Palazzo Gatteschi.

A. Divided in the city: living among feuding factions

Take a walk through the history of Pistoia’s foremost noble dynasties from the 14^th to the 16^th centuries, the bloodiest period in the city’s political history. The centuries-long clash between the feuding Cancellieri and Panciatichi families spawned the urban development around their Palazzi, leaving indelible legacies in the city. Duration: around 1.5 hours

B. The lexicon of living spaces

Doors, windows, walls and streets all filter and delineate the diverse realities of urban co-habitation in both the public and private sphere. Discover the architectural lexicon of city living in a tour along the streets of Pistoia’s historic centre, spanning from ancient times to the 20^th century. Duration: around 1.5 hours

C. Inhabiting history: examples of domestic power and prestige

In a city with a centuries-long history, the dialogue between the past and the present must also include the re-use of historical dwellings. Secret gardens, opulent staircases, music salons, along with private theatres, art galleries and burial chapels, have always been elements of social distinction. Some have been demolished while others have passed down to us through the years even when their use is transformed by changed living conditions. Today, what does it mean to inhabit history? Duration: around 1 hour

We thank the hosts of the participating Palazzi and the Museo dell’Antico Palazzo dei Vescovi.