Pescia
Pescia | |
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Comune di Pescia | |
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Coordinates:43°54′N10°41.4′E/ 43.900°N 10.6900°E | |
Country | Italy |
Region | Tuscany |
Province | Pistoia(PT) |
Frazioni | Medicina, Fibbialla, Aramo, San Quirico, Castelvecchio, Stiappa,Pontito,Sorana, Vellano, Pietrabuona,Collodi,Veneri, Chiodo |
Government | |
• Mayor | Oreste Giurlani |
Area | |
• Total | 79.18 km2(30.57 sq mi) |
Elevation | 68 m (223 ft) |
Population (31 December 2017)[2] | |
• Total | 19,584 |
• Density | 250/km2(640/sq mi) |
Demonym | Pesciatini |
Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2(CEST) |
Postal code | 51017, 51012, 51010 |
Dialing code | 0572 |
Patron saint | St. Dorothea |
Saint day | 6 February |
Website | (in Italian)Official website |
Pescia(Italian pronunciation:[ˈpeʃʃa]) is an Italian city in theprovince of Pistoia,Tuscany,centralItaly.
It is located in a central zone between the citiesLuccaandFlorence,on the banks of theriver of the same name.
History
[edit]Archaeological excavations have suggested that theLombardsbuilt the firstsettlementhere on the river banks. The name of the city comes in fact from theLombardicwordpehhia(cognate toBachinGerman), meaning "river".
Luccaoccupied and destroyed Pescia during the 13th century, but the town was quickly rebuilt. During the entireMiddle AgesFlorence and Lucca contended for the city, as the latter was located on the border between the two republics. In 1339, after almost ten years of war, Florence occupied it.
The economy of the town was founded onmulberrycultivation andsilkwormbreeding. Heavily struck by theBlack Death,Pescia overcame the demographic and economic depression which had ensued only at the end of the 15th century.
At the end of the 17th century, the grand-duke of Tuscany declared Pescia "City of theGrand Duchy of Tuscany".In the 19th century, the silk production was so important that Pescia was called" the little Manchester of Tuscany ". The economy of the town dropped after a commercial conflict between France and Italy (1888). The passage ofNapoleonhighly damaged the economy of the city, because he substitutedsilkwithsugar beet.
Since 1925 Pesciatins found an alternative economic source in cultivating and trading flowers and olive plants (since the end of the 19th century). Bombardments duringWorld War IIcaused much damage to Pescia.
Main sights
[edit]- Palazzo del Vicario (13th–14th centuries), now the Town Hall
- Palazzo Palagio or delPodestà(12th–13th centuries)
- Pescia Cathedral,dating perhaps to the 5th–6th century but later rebuilt several times. It is mentioned for the first time in 872 but the oldest surviving remains date to the 13th century. It houses a funerary tomb byRaffaello da Montelupo.
- San Francesco:Gothic, 13th-century church. The Cardini Chapel was built in greypietra serenausing a design by Andrea Cavalcanti, a pupil ofFilippo Brunelleschi;it houses a fresco byNeri di Bicci(1458). The right apse chapel has a fresco cycle ofStories of the VirginbyBicci di Lorenzo(15th century), while in the left chapel is aMadonna with Child(1335) byAngelo Puccinelli.The panel ofSt. Francis and the Episodes of His Life(1235) byBonaventura Berlinghieriis the earliest known depiction of St. Francis' iconography.
- Communal Palace
- City Library
- Old Flower Market (1951) for its modern architecture
- Madonna di Piè di Piazza:small Renaissance style oratory
Economy
[edit]Economic activities in and around the city include flower growing (carnations,for which it is an international market center) andpaperproduction.
The village ofSoranais known for its namesakesorana bean.
Education
[edit]The city is home to three professional (economics, agrarian and graphic-touristic) high schools and four cultural (classical, scientific, linguistic and psycho-pedagogic) high schools.
Museums
[edit]- Paper Museum in Pescia
- Municipal Museum
- Gipsoteca Libero Andreotti
- Pinacoteca di San Michele
Twin cities
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011".Italian National Institute of Statistics.Retrieved16 March2019.
- ^"Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018".Italian National Institute of Statistics.Retrieved16 March2019.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/40px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png)
- Official website(in Italian)