Via dei Mercati - Pistoia - Tuscany

The arrival of the Ostrogoths from Radagaiso in 406 AD. led to such extensive destruction that the original square structure of the city was destroyed and had to be rebuilt from scratch. In the mid-6th century, the city came under Byzantine rule. But Pistoia was most influenced by the Longobards who managed to make the city a strategic and political center. Even a gold coin, the Tremissis of Pistoia, was minted here. Between the end of the 7th and the beginning of the 8th century, the city got its first city wall, the remains of which can still be seen near the cathedral.

The third city wall, which is still largely preserved, dates from the 14th century and was developed into a fortress by order of Cosimo de Medici in the 16th century.

Willem Vandenameele