Pescia - sights of the town of Pescia in the Province of Pistoia, Tuscany

The town of Pescia is a charming place that is well worth a brief visit if you are in the area. Pescia is situated in the Province of Pistoia, very near the ancient border separating the Republics of Florence and Lucca, on the banks of the Pescia river. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Lombards built the first settlement here on the river banks. In fact, the name “Pescia” is drived from a Lombard word, meaning “river”. Lucca occupied and destroyed Pescia during the 13 C, but the town was quickly rebuilt. During the entire Middle Ages, Florence and Lucca struggled for control of Pescia which was lost by Lucca upon the death of Castruccio Castracani in 1328. Pescia then enjoyed a brief period of independence but, in 1339, after almost ten years of war, Florence finally occupied it definitively.

The economy of the Pescia was founded on mulberry cultivation and silkworm breeding. By the 19 C, the silk production was so important that Pescia was called “the Manchester of Tuscany”. However, Napoleon ordered silk production to be replaced by cultivation of sugar beet, dealing a severe blow to the economy of Pescia. Since 1925,  Pescia has specialised in the commercial cultivation of flowers and the propagation of olive trees. Pescia was severely damaged by bombing during WW II.

• The Biblioteca Capitolare of Pescia is a fine baroque library attached to the duomo of the town of Pescia, and definitely worth a visit by anyone interested in architecture or beautiful books.  More about Biblioteca Capitolare of Pescia.