The world's most famous puppet was born here: Carlo Lorenzini took his pen name from Collodi, the hillside hamlet of Pescia where his mother was born, and Pinocchio has made it a pilgrimage site. The Pinocchio Park with its artist-made sculptures and the Baroque garden of Villa Garzoni, butterfly house included, hold fairy tale and wonder together.
Pescia, historic capital of the Valdinievole with 19,435 residents between Lucca and Florence, is also Tuscany's flower town: its flower market ranks among Italy's main ones, supplying half of Europe with carnations and ornamental olive trees. The riverside centre, with its long square and cathedral, completes a stop that surprises by sheer density.
Near Pescia
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
