Pistoia
—  Comune  —
Città di Pistoia
The Bell Tower of the Cathedral in Piazza Duomo.
Pistoia Location of Pistoia in Italy
Coordinates: 43°56′N 10°55′E / 43.933°N 10.917°E / 43.933; 10.917Coordinates: 43°56′N 10°55′E / 43.933°N 10.917°E / 43.933; 10.917
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Province	Pistoia (PT)
Frazioni	see list
Government
• Mayor	Samuele Bertinelli (PD)
Area
• Total	236 km2 (91 sq mi)
Elevation	65 m (213 ft)
Population (30 September 2008)
• Total	90,072
• Density	380/km2 (990/sq mi)
Demonym	Pistoiesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	51100
Dialing code	0573
Patron saint	St. Jacopo
Saint day	July 25
Website	Official website

The Ospedale del Ceppo.

The octagonal baptistery.

The Duomo

Interior of Basilica of Our Lady of Humility.

Pistoia  listen (help·info) is a city and comune in the Tuscany region of Italy, the capital of a province of the same name, located about 30 km west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno.

History[link]

Pistoria (in Latin other possible spellings are Pistorium or Pistoriae) was centre of Gallic, Ligurian and Etruscan settlements before becoming a Roman colony in the 6th century BC, along the important road Via Cassia: in 62 BC the demagogue Catiline and his fellow conspirators were slain nearby. From the 5th century the city was a bishopric, and during the Lombardic kingdom it was a royal city and had several privileges. Pistoia's most splendid age began in 1177 when it proclaimed itself a free commune: in the following years it became an important political centre, erecting walls and several public and religious buildings.

In 1254 the Ghibelline Pistoia was taken over by Guelph Florence, but supposedly resulted in the division of the Guelphs into "Black" and "White" factions. Pistoia remained a Florentine holding except for a brief period in the 14th century, when Castruccio Castracani captured it for Lucca, and was officially annexed to Florence in 1530. During the 14th century Ormanno Tedici was one of the Lords of the city.

In 1786 a famous Jansenist episcopal synod was convened in Pistoia.

Dante mentioned in his Divina Commedia the free town of Pistoia as the home town of Vanni Fucci, who is encountered in Inferno tangled up in a knot of snakes while cursing God, and Michelangelo called the Pistoiesi the "enemies of heaven".

According to one theory, Pistoia lent its name to the pistol,^[1] which it started manufacturing in the 16th century. But today it is also notable for the extensive garden nurseries spreading around it. Consequently, Pistoia is also famous for its flower markets, as is the nearby Pescia.

Main sights[link]

Although not as visited as other towns in Tuscany, mostly due to the industrial environs, Pistoia presents a well-preserved and charming medieval city inside the old walls.

Piazza del Duomo[link]

The large Piazza del Duomo is lined with attractive original buildings as the Palazzo del Comune and the Palazzo del Podestà: it is the setting (in July) of the Giostra dell'Orso ("Bear Joust"), when the best horsemen of the districts of the town tilt with lances at a target held up by a dummy shaped like a bear.

The original Cathedral of San Zeno (5th century) burned down in 1108, but was rebuilt during the following century, and received incremental improvements until the 17th century. The façade has a prominent Romanesque style, while the interior received heavy Baroque additions which were removed during the 1960s. Its outstanding feature is the Altar of St James, an exemplar of the silversmith's craft begun in 1287 but not finished until the 15th century. Its various sections contain 628 figures, the total weighing nearly a ton. The Romanesque belfry, standing at some 67 m, was erected over an ancient Lombard tower.

In the square is also the 14th century Baptistry, in Gothic style, with white-green marble decorations.

The Palazzo dei Vescovi ("Bishops' Palace"), is characterized by a Gothic loggiato at the first floor. It is known from 1091, initially as a fortified noble residence. In the 12th century it received a more decorated appearance, with mullioned windows and frescoes, of which traces remain. It was later modified in the mid-12th (when the St. James Chapel, narrated by Dante Alighieri in the XXIV canto of his Inferno) and in the 13th century; to the latter restoration belongs the white marble-decorated staircase, one of the most ancient examples in Italy in civil architecture. In the 14th century the Chapel of St. Nicholas was decorated with stories of the namesake saint and of martyrs

The Tower of Catilina is from the High Middle Ages, and stands 30 m high.

Religious buildings[link]

This section requires expansion.

• Basilica of Our Lady of Humility (Madonna dell'Umiltà) (1509), finished by Giorgio Vasari with a 59 m-high cupola. The original project was by Giuliano da Sangallo, but works were begun in 1495 by Ventura Vitoni. The dome was commissioned by Cosimo I de' Medici to Vasari, the lantern begin completed in 1568 and the church consecrated in 1582. In the apse is a painting by Bernardino del Signoraccio (1493).
• the Baroque Santissima Annunziata, famous for its Chiostro dei Morti ("Dead's Cloister").
• San Bartolomeo in Pantano (12th century).
• San Giovanni Battista (15th century). Damaged during World War II bombardments, it is now used as an exhibition center.
• San Giovanni Battista al Tempio (11th century), owned for a while by the Templar and then by the Hospitaller Knights.
• San Benedetto (14th century, restored in 1630). It houses a 1390 Annunciation by Giovanni di Bartolomeo Cristiani, a 16th century Forentine school St. Benedict with the Redeemer and, in the cloister, Histories of the Order of the Knights of St. Benedict by Giovan Battista Vanni (1660).
• San Domenico.
• Franciscan church of San Francesco (begun in 1289). It has an unfinished façade with bichrome marble decoration. It has frescoes with 'Histories of St. Francis in the main chapel and other 14th–15th centuries frescoes.
• The Romanesque San Giovanni Fuoricivitas (12th–14th century).
• San Leone, built in the 14th century but enlarged in the 16th–18th centuries. Its Baroque-Roccoco interior houses some notable canvasses by artists such as Giovanni Lanfranco, Stefano Marucelli and Vincenzo Meucci.
• Santa Maria delle Grazie.
• Santa Maria in Ripalta, mentioned from the 11th century. It houses a large Ascension fresco in the apse, attributed to Manfredino d'Alberto (1274).
• San Paolo.
• San Pier Maggiore.
• Pieve di Sant'Andrea, housing Giovanni Pisano's Pulpit of St. Andrew.
• The ancient Pieve of San Michele in Groppoli, in the neighbourhood of the city.
• La Vergine.

Others[link]

• The 14th century walls. These had originally four gates, Porta al Borgo, Porta San Marco, Porta Carratica and Porta Lucchese, all demolished at the beginning of the 20th century.
• Ospedale del Ceppo (13th century).
• Palazzo Panciatichi
• The Monument in Honour of Brazilians (Soldiers and Pilots) killed in action on Italian Campaign (World War II)
• The Medici Fortress of Santa Barbara, built a first time in 1331 century by the Florentines, but destroyed by the Pistoiese citizens in 1343. It was rebuilt by order of Cosimo I de' Medici from 1539, and later enlarged by Bernardo Buontalenti. It sustained one single siege by the Barberini troops in 1643, before being disarmed by Grand Duke Peter Leopold in 1734. Later it was used as barracks and military jail, while now houses cinema shows in summer.

Transportation[link]

Its station is on the Maria Antonia railway, connecting Florence, Lucca and Viareggio and it is at the southern end of the Porrettana railway, the original line between Florence and Bologna.

Notable people[link]

• Enrico Betti
• Mauro Bolognini
• Giosuè Carducci
• Cino da Pistoia
• Pope Clement IX
• Ippolito Desideri
• Massimo Freccia (Valdibure)
• Licio Gelli
• Marino Marini
• Giovanni Michelucci
• Filippo Pacini

[edit] Frazioni

Badia a Pacciana, Baggio, Bargi, Barile, Bonelle, Bottegone, Campiglio Germinaia, Canapale, Candeglia, Capostrada, Case Nuove di Masiano, Castagno di Piteccio, Chiazzano, Chiesina Montalese, Chiodo, Cignano, Cireglio, Collina, Corsini Bianchi, Corsini Neri, Fabbrica, Gello, Iano, Le Fornaci, Le Grazie, Le Piastre, Le Pozze, Le Querci, Lupicciano, Masiano, Masotti, Nespolo, Orsigna, Piazza, Piestro, Piteccio, Piuvica, Pontelungo, Pontenuovo, Pracchia, Pupigliana, Ramini, Sammommè, San Biagio, San Felice, San Rocco, Sant'Agostino, Sant'Alessio in Bigiano, Santomato, Saturnana, Spazzavento, Stazzana, Torbecchia, Valdibrana, Vicofaro, Villa di Baggio, Villanova di Valdibrana.

Twin towns — sister cities[link]

Pistoia is twinned with:

• Oneşti, Bacău County, Romania
• Kruševac, Serbia
• Pau, France, since 1975
• Zittau, Germany

Events[link]

• Pistoia Blues, an international music festival held since 1980.
• Giostra dell'Orso ("Joust of the Bear"), a ceremony that is mentioned even in a chronicle of 1300, when a dozen riders organized a ritual combat against a bear. Despite many changes, this traditional ceremony was staged every year until 1666, when the abandonment was recorded by the ritual celebration of the people. It was restarted in 1947, and takes place on July 25.

Footnotes[link]

Sources[link]

• David Herlihy. Medieval and Renaissance Pistoia: the social history of an Italian town. New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1967.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pistoia

• Comune di Pistoia
• Pistoia Tourist Consortium: lots of information and city map download
• Pistoia Blues Festival
• Virtual Tour of the City
• Pistoia Travel Guide

Paolo Nutini
Paolo Nutini performing in 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Paolo Giovanni Nutini
Born	(1987-01-09) 9 January 1987 (age 25)
Origin	Paisley, Scotland
Genres	Pop rock, Blue eyed soul, folk, blues, Easy Listening,
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Atlantic
Website	paolonutini.com

Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987^[1]) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley.

Paolo Nutini's debut album, These Streets, was released by Atlantic Records in the United Kingdom in July 2006 and included the singles "Last Request", "Jenny Don't Be Hasty", "Rewind" and "New Shoes". "Last Request", the most successful, reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. The album peaked at number three on the UK Album Chart and was certified 4× platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).^[2] It has been in the album charts for a record-breaking 196 weeks.

In May 2009 Nutini released his second album, Sunny Side Up, which debuted at number one in the UK and has produced four singles; "Candy", "Coming Up Easy", "Pencil Full of Lead" and "10/10". It has so far been certified 4x platinum by the BPI.^[2] On 19 February 2010, it scooped "Best International Album" at the 2010 Meteor Awards.

Life and career[link]

Early life and breakthrough (1987–2006)[link]

Nutini's father is of Italian descent, from Barga, Tuscany, although both his parents are third-generation Scottish.

Paolo Nutini was expecting to follow his father into the family fish and chip shop business. He was first encouraged to sing by his music-loving grandfather, Jackie, and a teacher at his school, St Andrews Academy, who recognised his talent. He left school to work as a roadie and to sell t-shirts for Speedway. He spent three years learning the music business and performing live. He later worked as a studio hand at Glasgow's Park Lane Studio.

His big chance came when he attended a concert staged by 102.5 Clyde 1 for David Sneddon's return to his home town of Paisley at the beginning of 2003. Sneddon was delayed, and as the winner of an impromptu pop quiz, Nutini was given the chance to perform a couple of songs on stage during the wait. The favourable reaction of the crowd impressed another member of the audience, Brendan Moon, who offered to become his manager. Brendan and his business partner Mike Bawden continue to manage Paolo. Only 17, Nutini moved to London and performed regularly at The Bedford pub in Balham. Other radio and live appearances followed, including two live acoustic spots on Radio London, The Hard Rock Cafe, and support slots for The Rolling Stones, Amy Winehouse and KT Tunstall.

When Nutini was young he was a member of PACE Youth Theatre

[edit] These Streets and mainstream breakthrough (2006–2009)

Nutini performing in September 2006.

Throughout 2006 Nutini played a number of sold-out concerts in the UK and performed at a wide variety of venues worldwide, including King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow, a TV appearance on Later with Jools Holland, Carnegie Hall in New York, The Montreux Jazz Festival, The Wireless Festival, Oxegen and T in the Park. He supported the Rolling Stones in Vienna and was invited to appear with them again at the Don Valley Stadium in August 2006. He was also booked to appear at the V Festival and The Austin City Limits Music Festival, Texas later in 2006, with a European tour in the autumn. In May 2006, he also played at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Dundee.

On Hogmanay 2006, Nutini appeared on BBC Scotland's Hogmanay Live celebrations, after the official celebrations in Princes Street Gardens were cancelled at short notice due to abysmal weather. He performed several songs in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle for the TV audience with little or no rehearsal. On Wednesday 11 April 2007, Nutini performed in a concert that was streamed live via MSN Music.

Nutini performed at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2007 on the famous Pyramid Stage on the second day of the event. Nutini also performed at the UK leg of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium on 7 July 2007, with his set including a cover of "What A Wonderful World", a classic pop tune by Bob Thiele, George David Weiss, and George Douglas. He performed the following day at T in the Park, in Scotland.^[3] He performed at the Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert on 10 December 2007, an event that drew enormous international attention as it was the first full live concert performance by Led Zeppelin in 27 years. Scottish independent TV company Volt MediaFix made a one-off documentary of Nutini's US tour. The programme, for the BBC, was scheduled for broadcast on BBC2, on Thursday 7 June throughout Scotland and on Sky channel 990 throughout the rest of the UK.

Nutini's songs have infiltrated American TV shows as well. "Last Request" featured at the end of the Scrubs episode "My Words of Wisdom" from Season 6, the first-ever episode of "Gavin and Stacey," and the One Tree Hill Season-4 episode "The Birth and Death of the Day." "Million Faces" could be heard at the end of the Grey's Anatomy episode "Testing 1–2–3" from Season 3 and is on the Volume 3 Soundtrack. "Rewind" was played at the end of CSI: Miami Season-5 episode "Broken Home." "Jenny, Don't Be Hasty" was also featured on another member of the CSI franchise when it played on CSI: NY's Season-3-finale, "Snow Day". "New Shoes" featured in The Jane Austen Book Club and in a TV ad for Puma AG during summer 2008. On 24 July 2007, Nutini was awarded The Golden St. Christopher medal by the city of Barga in Italy, the highest honour the city can give, to celebrate his extraordinary contributions to Barga and its people.^[4] On 17 September, Nutini performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno performing "Last Request". In September 2007, Nutini recorded a short radio show with imeem.com where he listed his top 10 favourite tracks and the reasons behind his choices.^[5] In October 2007, Nutini performed for the annual Voodoo Fest held in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2008, Nutini's music was featured in a movie adaptation of Irvine Welsh's best-selling novel Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance. On New Year's Eve 2008–09, Nutini performed at the Hogmanay street parties in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland, becoming the first act to play both locations on the same day for the event. In The View's 2009 album Which Bitch?, he is featured singing on the song "Covers."

[edit] Sunny Side Up and continued musical success (2009–present)

On 1 June 2009, Nutini released his second studio album Sunny Side Up, which debuted at number one. The first single from the album "Candy" was released on 25 May. In July, he appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, performing "Coming Up Easy". This was released as the second single to the album on 10 August and it debuted at number 62 in the UK Singles Chart on 16 August 2009.^[6] On 10 September 2009, Nutini performed "Coming Up Easy" on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. The third single from the album was "Pencil Full of Lead".

The album received a mixed critical reception. Allmusic's Thom Jurek noted the move away from the sound of the debut album: "Nutini has taken huge chunks of America's (and Scotland's) pop and folk pasts and reshaped them in his own image," going on to describe it as "wise beyond this songwriter's years".^[7] Andy Gill of The Independent commented on Nutini's progress since his debut, saying the album "sees the singer making giant strides in several directions", and going on to say "don't be surprised if, come December, this is one of the year's biggest-selling albums."^[8] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph was also positive, stating "his joyous second album organically blends soul, country, folk and the brash, horny energy of ragtime swing."^[9]

Some reviewers were less impressed. It was described by The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan as "not bad", with opening track "10/10" described as "jaunty enough to make you retch".^[10] Graeme Thompson of The Observer saw the album as an attempt by Nutini at "rebranding himself as a mongrel hybrid of John Martyn, Otis Redding and Bob Marley".^[11]

The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with sales of over 60,000 copies, fighting off strong competition from Love & War, the debut album of fellow male solo artist Daniel Merriweather. The album performed similarly well on the Irish Albums Chart, debuting at number two behind Eminem's new album before rising to the top of the charts the week after.

The album has been one of the best UK album sales of the year. On the UK Albums Chart on the Week of Monday 19 Oct, the album move from number 31 to number 5, making the album sell more than The Saturdays' second album.^[12] On 3 January 2010 Sunny Side Up topped the UK Album Charts for a second time, making the album the first Number one album in the United Kingdom of 2010 and the decade.^{[13][14][15][16][17]}

On 19 February 2010, Colin Farrell presented Nutini with "Best International Album" for Sunny Side Up at the 2010 Meteor Awards.^[18]

Paolo Nutini embarked on a world tour with his Sunny Side Up album. The band consisted of, in addition to Paolo: Donny Little-Guitars, Vocals Seamus Simon-Drums Michael McDaid-Bass, Keyboard Dave Nelson-Guitars, Keyboard, Vocals, Percussion Gavin Fitzjohn-Trumpet, Saxophone Ben Edwards - trumpet & flugelhorn, and Tom Pinder - trombone & sousaphone. The brass section are collectively known as the "Horns of Thunder" (a name formed by Paolo himself)

Legacy[link]

Recording history[link]

Paolo Nutini performing in 2008.

Nutini made his first demo which saw him signed to Atlantic Records in May 2005, shortly after his 18th birthday. He released his first single "These Streets" as a free download in May 2006; this was then followed by his next single "Last Request" which was released on 4 July 2006 and charted at number 5 in the official UK charts. In the video for "Last Request", Nutini plays the part of a robber – though this is not revealed until the end. Nutini's third single, "Jenny Don't Be Hasty", was released on 25 September 2006 and got to number 20 on the UK Singles Chart. "Rewind" was Nutini's fourth single. It was released on 4 December 2006, and reached number 27 in the UK.

His debut album These Streets, produced by Ken Nelson (who has also worked with Coldplay and Gomez), was released on 17 July 2006 and immediately entered the UK album charts at number three. Many of the songs on the album, including "Last Request" and "Rewind", were inspired by a turbulent relationship with his girlfriend Teri Brogan, and "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" is a true story about encounters with an older woman. These Streets, as Paolo himself puts it on his official website, he states, "The album is a little glimpse of some of the experiences I have been through in the last three years". In late 2007 he covered Labi Siffre's "It Must Be Love" for BBC Radio 1's Radio 1 Established 1967 album.

His self-produced second album Sunny Side Up was released on 1 June 2009.^[19]

As of February 2011, Paolo Nutini was in the studio working on new material.^[20]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• These Streets (2006)
• Sunny Side Up (2009)

Awards and nominations[link]

External links[link]

• Official Paolo Nutini website
• "Singer Paulo Nutini headlined the Hogmanay bash..." eveningtimes.co.uk,^[29] 1–1–09.

References[link]

Joe Forte is an American screenplay writer and painter. Born in New Jersey, he is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Writer of Firewall, the 2006 thriller starring Harrison Ford, and producer of 2005 film, "Say I Do". Forte is currently adapting the award-winning novel [Out][1] for New Line Cinemas, and is creating a one-hour drama series for 20th Century Fox called The Pack, based on the book by New York indie novelist Jason Starr.

"Wonder", a solo exhibition of Forte's most recent baseball card [paintings] (http://www.joeforte.com], was shown at Bergamot Station's James Gray Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, in Oct-Nov of 2008.

Forte lives in Los Angeles, United States and has been a mentor and panelist for UCLA, the Sedona Film Festival and Cinestory.

External links[link]

• Painting Website
• Joe Forte at the Internet Movie Database