Stage 19

Pontepetri-Pistoia

Leaving the little village on the banks of the newborn Reno, we quickly ascend to a wooded and rocky ridge from which a view opens up that by now we had been waiting for with some impatience: for the first time here below us is the splendid Tuscan plain, with Pistoia in the foreground, and our thoughts turn to the final destination of our journey. Arriving at the Passo della Collina, we change our traveling companion again: we bid farewell to the Way of St. Bartholomew and continue together with the Francesca della Sambuca, the route coming from Bologna. (The Way of St. Bartholomew continues eastward to Spedaletto, once the site of a hospice for pilgrims heading to Pistoia.) From Collina the descent into Pistoia begins, along the old road that intersects the hairpin bends of the new car road, through pleasant olive groves to almost flat ground. Pistoia is a real surprise: outstanding urban planning, with grand palaces and beautiful monuments; the palate will be satisfied by the excellent cuisine. But here it is especially important to remember the relic of St. James, preserved in the cathedral. The link with the Spanish city is celebrated on February 2 each year, when credentials are handed out to pilgrims from the area who will go to Santiago de Compostela later in the year.