Little known to tourists but also in Tuscany, Pistoia is a delightful city about 20 km from Florence, at the foot of the Pistoiese Apennines. It has a historic center full of monuments and churches: a couple of beautiful museums, an underground path (which I will tell you about in another post), a large, spectacular Piazza del Duomo with cathedral of San Zeno in Romanesque-Pisan style. I went to Pistoia to see how the Piazza Duomo was decorated with colored lights - an entire building covered with lights, very beautiful and to breathe a little Christmas atmosphere.
I definitely recommend you visit it, if you don't already know it. For the more gluttonous aspect, the obligatory stop is Piazza della Sala, gathered among the houses, with an ancient well in the center. Piazza della Sala is the gourmet heart of Pistoia. Historically the seat of the market and all the activities of exchange of goods, even today the square and the adjacent streets have maintained this vocation: therefore you will find in the central space stalls of fruit and vegetables, colorful and cheerful. All around the perimeter of the square instead of food shops to lose your head. Norcinerie, with cold cuts, sausages, fresh meat. The cheeses especially pecorino - which come from the nearby Pistoia mountains; bakeries with Tuscan bread and local sweets (from cantuccini from nearby Prato to brigidini from nearby Lamporecchio). Mescite and places to taste wine or have an aperitif. Cafes, welcoming and full of tables to pass the time in peace. Gastronomies, where you can find the new Tuscan oil, the most incredible sauces, fresh pasta, chestnut flour (also a specialty of the nearby Apennines), sugared almonds, which are a Pistoia specialty in many variations. And then restaurants, where to stay late.
In Piazza della Sala you can even eat the Migliaccio, a very particular "crepe" cooked on a special plate. It is a street food of yesteryear, based on pig's blood, which is sprinkled with grated cheese or sugar; I assure you that I have not tasted it for you, but many people enjoyed it with satisfaction. I eat more willingly in Pistoia i necci, chestnut flour crepe cooked thanks to special hot irons and stuffed with sheep's milk ricotta. Delicious.
