Pistoia, Italy

Pistoia is a city in Italy’s Tuscany region. Set around its central Piazza del Duomo are the Cathedral of San Zeno, which has a silver altar, and the octagonal Battistero di San Giovanni in Corte baptistery. Also on the square is the Palazzo dei Vescovi, an 11th-century palace housing a number of museums. On the nearby Piazza della Sala, the Pozzo del Leoncino is a well with a marble frame.

Close by, the striped church of San Giovanni Fuoricivitas contains terracotta sculptures by the Renaissance artist Luca della Robbia. Inside the Romanesque San Bartolomeo Church is a 13th-century marble pulpit. The Ospedale del Ceppo, a medieval hospital adorned with a colorful ceramic-glazed frieze, offers a museum of ancient surgical instruments. Beneath it is Pistoia Sotterranea, an archaeological site with a Roman bridge, a medieval wash house and 2 mills. The Santa Barbara Fortress, first built in the 14th century, now hosts concerts and cultural events. West of town, the Zoo of Pistoia is home to giraffes, lemurs and snakes.