PISTICCIO. (Bastucara.] i'ISTO'IA, the ancient Pistorium, a town in the Tuscan province of ----- • Firenze, is situated 21 miles by railway through Prato N.W. from the city of Florence, inn plain at the foot of the Apennines, and near the Stella, a tributary of the Onibrone, which is an affluent of the Arno. Pistoia lies on the high road leading from Florence to Modeua over the Apenniues. It is a well-built town of considerable size, but rather thinly inhabited ; it contains about 12,000 inhabitants, and givta title to a bishop. I'iatorium does not appear to have been a place of importance uuder the Romans, except that it was near one of the passes leading into Cisalpine GauL &elitist mentions the Pietorian territory in his account of the movements of Catiline and his insurgent followers. Piatoia was a place of importance under the Longobards, whose king Desiderius inclosed it with walls. It was afterwards au independent municipality, until it was subjugated by Florence, about 1150. In the bloody feuds of the numerous branches of a distinguished Pistoian family, named Cancellieri, in the latter part of the 13th century, the two factions of the Bianchi and the Ncri originated, which spread also to Florence, and caused incalculable misery to both cities in this and the following century. The Florentine Neri blockaded Pistoia, and after terrible barbarities got it into their power by surrender, April 10, 1306, when they razed the walls to the ground. I'istoia
never recovered from this blow. It has continued, with some short interruptions, to be subject to Florence ever since.
There are many remarkable buildings in Pistoia. The cathedral, which was built by the Countess Matilda, in the early part of the 12th century, and restored by Niecolo di Pisa, contains come good paintings, basso-rilievos, and monuments. The other churches worthy of notice are San-Pietro-Maggiore, L'Annunziata, San-Filippo-Neri, Santa-Maria dell'Umilth, San-Giovanni-Battista, San-Domenico, and San-Giovanni Rotondo. The palace doll Commune, or degli Anziani, dates from the 13th century, and contains several monuments of the middle ages. The episcopal palace and the clerical seminary, both built in the 18th century by Bishop Ricci, are handsome buildings. La Sapienza (the public schools) has a good library. There is also at Pistoia an academy of sciences and belles-lettres. The private palaces of the families Braccioliui, Cancellieri, Rospigliosi, Tolomei, and Forteguerri, contain good paintings. The chief manufactures are woollen cloth, silk, leather, iron wares, and gun-barrels. The pistol is said to derive its name from this city. Pistoia was the birthplace of Pope Clement IX.