Underground Pistoia

Since May 1st, 2010 the city of Pistoia boasts an enviable and fascinating prime position making it one of the most appreciated cities by lovers of the underground world. A journey delving 650m into the bowels of the earth, the city boasts a route which is the longest underground city open to visits in Tuscany, and the first underground city accessible to everybody in Italy; thanks to the creation of tactile routes, the city is accessible to the blind and persons with special needs.

Also known as Pistoia sotterranea, or Underground Pistoia, the route allows visitors to explore between Piazza del Carmine and Piazza San Lorenzo, discovering areas which, thanks to over seven years of research, combines medieval architectural elements and older features dating back to the Roman era. The route unwinds along an ancient torrent of Brana – which then became Gora di Scornio – embellished by stone vaults which highlight the historic passages of the urban evolution of Pistoia.

Among the unfolded structures are two medieval bridges, a Roman bridge in via Clodai, and the ruins of a fenced city of Pistoia and its towers, the hydraulic wheels of the town factory, a mill and an oil mill.

A guided visit of the city lasts around 80 minutes; a warm jumper is necessary due to the dampness and low temperatures. The visit starts at the city gates at the left side of the hospital, Ospedale del Ceppo in Piazza Giovanni XXIII, and then continues along the premises of the Medical Academy “F. Pacini”, and the Museum of ferri chirurgici del nosocomio (museum of surgical instruments) and the Teatro Anatomico (Anatomical theatre).

For further updated information on prices and booking details, please visit the website of the Institute of Historic and Archaeological Research (www.irsapt.it).