Pistoia is gearing up for great things in 2017.
The city was named Capital of Italian Culture for 2017, as announced recently by the minister of cultural heritage, Dario Franceschini. The ministry will allocate one million euro for a set of projects that Pistoia presented in its application for the designation.
Among the planned urban renewal projects are a major renovation of the Ospedale del Ceppo and restoration of the city walls. Pistoia will also create new bike routes throughout the city and upgrade Palazzo Fabroni, the museum of modern and contemporary art.
A collaboration with the Guggenheim Foundation is in the works and plans for an exhibition on Marino Marini are underway.
The city will also expand its established cultural events such as music festival Pistoia Blues and literary festival Leggere La Città.
Pistoia, which will succeed Mantua as the Capital of Italian Culture, was chosen from a field of 24 cities, among them Parma, Pisa, Taranto and Como. Selection is based on the potential impact and sustainability of the proposed projects.
