Two Days in Pistoia, Tuscany - Day Two, Pistoia, Italy

Captivated by this fascinating town I was back in Pistoia the following week and this time there was no doubt regarding the whereabouts of the centre. Crowds of people were flocking to the Piazza del Duomo where the market is held on Wednesday and Saturday.

But the stalls also spill out into the surrounding streets and enterprising shop owners erect small stalls outside their premises to display their wares. As it was threatening rain that day some traders were not wasting an opportunity to sell their umbrellas.

Today my priority was the Ospedale del Ceppo as I had heard about the underground tour of Pistoia that started in the hospital. To translate the name of this place can take a whole paragraph as a ceppo was a box for donations that was made by hollowing out a tree stump. Rather than use any of the translations I have come across such as hospital of the yule, the stump, the strain, the log, the trunk I am going to keep to the Italian name. This old building is just a few minutes walk from the centre and I had soon left behind the bustle of the market and found my way into the ticket office. The exterior of the building was surrounded by scaffolding so I could not see the famous glazed terracotta frieze that adorns it. But I was soon to discover that this meant I would have the opportunity to go up onto the scaffolding with a guide to get a close view of the frieze. I was directed to a waiting area outside the ticket office that also served as the waiting room for a benefits office. The rest of the hospital had closed down in 2013 and was currently being restored and converted into a museum. I was delighted to discover that I was in a group of one so I had a very personal tour of the frieze. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).