Exploring Pescia: A Journey Through Art, History,

Hello dear friends,

I've been staying at my sister's place for several days now, and yesterday, due to bad weather, we were practically confined to the house. We couldn't go on any excursions, so I couldn't take any photos or share any stories. There was so much snow that we even lost internet connection, but fortunately, this morning, the roads were cleared, and I've already returned to work. Before that, I wanted to share with you some photos I had taken at the end of autumn in Tuscany.

As I mentioned several times before, I forgot to share many interesting towns and places I saw during my journey. So, I'm catching up on some of this material, and today I want to share with you the town of Pescia, located in the province of Pistoia, practically situated between Lucca and Florence near the river of the same name.

Honestly, I had passed through this small town, which is not so small, as it seems to have more than 10,000 inhabitants. I wanted to see an exhibition they had organized about the "Madonna del Baldacchino," a large painting by Raphael that had returned to Pescia after many years in Florence, where it had been restored. However, I realized that the exhibition had already ended for a while, so I took the opportunity to take a stroll around the town, as is my usual habit.

I must say that I didn't know this place even though I discovered that it was once an important center for silk production. Currently, there are numerous paper mills nearby where paper is produced. When I visit these places, I go somewhat randomly. I don't start by trying to understand what monuments there are but discover them right on the spot. I think this is a good thing because you don't create enormous expectations.

I entered the main church, which seems to be the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, and I must say it is very interesting, although I immediately understood that it has been rebuilt over the centuries. Now, there is a fusion of styles between Gothic, Baroque, and Neoclassical. Still, like many churches I have visited, this one is very interesting. It emphasizes the fundamental role of the church in the arts, and fortunately, several commissioned works have survived to this day.

Anyway, this small city can be easily explored on foot in a couple of hours. In some areas, I found it a bit chaotic due to heavy traffic, which, in my opinion, is an unfortunate issue in Italy – the tendency to use cars everywhere. However, I found interesting monuments here as well, although I couldn't delve deeply into Pescia. I hope to return when perhaps some beautiful events are organized.

Thank you for taking a look at this post. I hope you found it interesting. I hope to share more of my adventures this month, themed around Christmas, hoping for an improvement in the weather.

Have a great day, everyone. See you soon!