This article is about the fortress in Pistoia. For the fortress in Siena, see Fortezza Medicea (Siena).
Distal view of FortressMoat, walls, and view of entrance portalEntrance portal with Medici coat of arms
The Fortress of Santa Barbara (Fortezza di Santa Barbara) is a 14th-century urban castle erected to house troops guarding the town of Pistoia, in the region of Tuscany, Italy. While it is suggested that initially the fortress was named after a nearby church of Saint Barnabas, however, Saint Barbara is the patron saint of artillerymen.
The initial fortress was erected in 1331, after the Florentine Republic had defeated the forces of Castruccio Castracani, and reconsolidated their power over Pistoia. In 1531, under the designs of Nanni Unghero, the fortress was enlarged, but subsequently during the rule of the Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici the fortress was further enhanced, initially by Giovanni Battista Belluci, and subsequently by construction of a perimeter wall under the design of Bernardo Buontalenti. Similar fortress buildings by the Medici ruler took place throughout Tuscany, including the similarly named Fortezza di Santa Barbara in Siena in 1561–63. Unghero's fortress had been a simple moated quadrilateral, but Buontalenti linked the structure to the city wall. The fortress was only besieged in 1643, when the armies of the Pope Urban VIII Barberini unsuccessfully attacked the city.
In the late 18th-century, Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo I, relieved the fortress of its role in the city defences, changing the main functions to work as barracks. In subsequent decades it also served as a jail. In 1970, much-needed restoration work was begun.[1] The fortress chapel has some Baroque era frescoes. Presently surrounding land serves as parkland and the ramparts have views of town and surrounding territory.
Pistoia is a city and comune in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typical Italian medieval city, and it attracts many tourists, especially in the summer. The city is famous throughout Europe for its plant nurseries.
Livorno is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn.
The Boboli Gardens is a historical park of the city of Florence that was opened to the public in 1766. Originally designed for the Medici, it represents one of the first and most important examples of the Italian garden, which later served as inspiration for many European courts. The large green area is a real open-air museum with statues of various styles and periods, ancient and Renaissance that are distributed throughout the garden. It also has large fountains and caves, among them the splendid Buontalenti grotto built by the artist, architect, and sculptor Bernardo Buontalenti between 1536 and 1608.
Grosseto is a comune in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the province of Grosseto. The city lies 14 kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river.
The Forte di Belvedere or Fortezza di Santa Maria in San Giorgio del Belvedere is a fortification in Florence, Italy.
Bernardo Buontalenti, byname of Bernardo Delle Girandole, was an Italian stage designer, architect, theatrical designer, military engineer, artist, and inventor of Italian ice cream.
Castiglion Fiorentino is a small, walled city in eastern Tuscany, Italy, in the province of Arezzo, between the cities of Arezzo and Cortona. It is known for its annual festivals and its Etruscan archeological site.
Santa Trinita is a Roman Catholic church located in front of the piazza of the same name, traversed by Via de' Tornabuoni, in central Florence, Tuscany, Italy. It is the mother church of the Vallumbrosan Order of Monks, founded in 1092 by a Florentine nobleman. South on Via de' Tornabuoni is the Ponte Santa Trinita over the river Arno; across the street is the Palazzo Spini Feroni.
The Villa Medicea di Cafaggiolo is a villa situated near the Tuscan town of Barberino di Mugello in the valley of the River Sieve, some 25 kilometres north of Florence, central Italy. It was one of the oldest and most favoured of the Medici family estates, having been in the possession of the family since the 14th century, when it was owned by Averardo de' Medici. Averardo's son, Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, is considered to be the founder of the Medici dynasty.
The Villa di Pratolino was a Renaissance patrician villa in Vaglia, Tuscany, Italy. It was mostly demolished in 1822. Its remains are now part of the Villa Demidoff, 12 km north of Florence, reached from the main road to Bologna.
The Villa di Montevettolini is a Medici villa in the comune of Monsummano Terme, Tuscany, central Italy.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Humility or Madonna dell'Umiltà is a Renaissance-style, Roman Catholic Marian basilica in Pistoia, region of Tuscany, Italy.
Siena’s Fortezza Medicea is a fort built in the city between 1561 and 1563 on the orders of Duke Cosimo, a few years before he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany.
Fortezza da Basso is a fort inserted in the fourteenth century walls of Florence. Its official name is the Fortress of Saint John the Baptist. In modern times it is home to numerous conferences, concerts and national and international exhibitions, such as Pitti Immagine. Its total area is nearly 100,000 square meters.
The Casino Mediceo di San Marco is a late-Renaissance or Mannerist style palace located on Via Cavour number 57 and via San Gallo in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy.
The Old Fortress of Livorno is a castle in Livorno, Italy. The Old Fortress is a successor building to a medieval fort built by the city of Pisa in the location of an older keep built by Countess Matilda of Tuscany in the 11th century. The 11th century tower was incorporated inside the fort built by the Pisans. The castle has been described as a "symbol of Medicean Livorno". The fort is located at the Medicean Darsena, or old dock of the port of Livorno, built by the Medici family. The ceremony proclaiming Livorno a city took place inside the fortress on 19 March 1606.
The Palazzo Sozzifanti also known as the Palazzo Buontalenti is a Renaissance-style palace located at the intersection of Via del Carmine, Via de' Rossi, Via Abbi Pazienza and Via Sant'Andrea in central Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy. The palace is used in 2019 as a temporary exhibition site by the Cassa di Risparmio di Pistoia and Pescia Foundation.
The Palazzo degli Anziani also known as the Palazzo del Comune, della Comunitá or del Giano is a Gothic-style stone palace located in the ancient historic center of Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy. The palace served as city hall for centuries; it still belongs to the comune and now mainly houses the Museo Civico d'Arte Antica.
Santa Maria Nuova is a Romanesque-style, de-consecrated church located on Via Manrico Ducceschi #2 and Largo Santa Maria, in Pistoia, region of Tuscany, Italy.
San Pietro Apostolo is a Roman Catholic parish church located on Piazza della Fortezza #7 in the upper town of Montecatini Terme, province of Pistoia, region of Tuscany, Italy.
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