Pistoia - Palazzo di Giano

A Roman oppidum here was founded in the 2nd century BC. In 406 "Pistorium" was destroyed by the Visigoths. After reconstruction, the city came under Byzantine rule. In the 8th century it experienced a brief heyday under the Lombards.

In the 12th century Pistoia was an independent comune with a lively economy and rapid urban expansion. The second city wall was built at this time. This quadrupled the walled city area compared to the first wall from the 7th to 8th centuries. However, the city's development was then hampered by internal fighting between the Ghibellines and Guelphs and the rivalry between the neighboring cities of Florence and Lucca. In the 14th century, Pistoia finally succumbed to Florentine power. With the founding of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Pistoia finally became part of the Medicean sphere of power. Cosimo I de' Medici had the third city wall built, which still exists today.

The balcony of the Palazzo di Giano, today the seat of the city council, is decorated with a St. Jacques flag.