Cutigliano
Cutigliano sits on a spur in the shelter of Mt. Cuccola immersed in dense woodland, and the signs of this medieval village's past are still visible today. It is built along an important thoroughfare which was recorded in the Longobard era, and crossed the Croce Arcana Pass to head north. Cutigliano developed after 1368 when it became the centre of the Pistoia mountain magistracy. The town has typical narrow streets flanked with ancient buildings and monuments, and a flourishing summer tourist industry as well as a ski resort at Doganaccia on the Apennine ridge. The focal point of the village is the Piazza del Municipio, overlooked by the Palazzo Pretorio, or Palazzo dei Capitani delta Montagna. built in the late 14th century and extended in later centuries. The town's history is recorded on these ancient walls by the many coats-of arms in stone and multicoloured terracotta. representing the various Captains of the magistracy; while a large Medici coat-of-arms surmounted with the papal insignia of Leo X is situated above the entrance portal. Another symbol of Florentine domination is the statue by Marzocco on the stone column in the square, which is a copy of the original sculpture preserved in the Renaissance arcade, another example of the beautiful architecture of the town which contains a 76"' century fresco of the Madonna and Child. The sound of water running from the little stone fountain accompanies the visitor as far as the nearby church of Madonna di Piazza, in which another glazed terracotta work by Benedetto Buglioni can be seen. There are interesting examples of 17"' century Florentine art in the church of San Bartolomeo just outside the town. The area surrounding Cutigliano is full of possibilities for walks and excursions of environmental interest, such as the Scaffaiolo lake. Melo, Pianosinatico, Pian di Noveilo and Sestaione, with its beautiful grand-ducal fountain to refresh tourists as they make their way across the landscape. Particularly interesting are Pian degli Ontani, the homeland of the shepherdess poet Beatrice Bugelli, and Flivoreta, a little village which houses the Ethnological Museum of the Apennine peoples.