Not everyone knows it, but Pistoia is beloved by landscape architects and painters, while Lonely Planet included it in its list of top 10 places in the world to see. A gem of a city, small and precious, worth spending half a day exploring on foot, even if its unique charm has a way of making you stick around. As you walk around Pistoia, you can’t help but be captivated by the Cathedral of San Zeno, with its Reredos of San Jacopo, an excellent silverwork from the 13th century, the pulpit by Giovanni Pisano in the Church of Sant’Andrea, the Ospedale del Ceppo and many other universal masterpieces. A city that shines especially for its collections of contemporary art and which fostered the career beginnings of major architects and sculptors, like Giovanni Michelucci and Marino Marini. Boasting the small town know-how of living elegantly and well, every evening a myriad of restaurants and pubs spread out behind the Baptistery and in piazza della Sala, making Pistoia a perfect destination all year round.