The city of Pistoia is located at the edges of the Apennine Mountains and along the shores of the Ombrone River in the western area of Tuscany.
Even though the finding of some elements dating back to the Etruscan period tends to indicate that these places were already inhabited in an era preceding the 2nd century BC, it is properly at that time that the foundation of the centre is usually fixed.
The merit of such an enterprise is given to the Romans who, in their process of expansion towards west, decided to organise a military camp on the streets taking to the lands of the Liguria people, named Pistorium.
Pistoia, favoured by its position along the via Cassia, will follow the destiny of the Roman empire, during its period of development as well as during its period of desegregation, sustaining in 405 AC the sack made by the Goths led by Radagaiso.
Submitted to the Longobardi as all the rest of the area, it became the headquarter of a “castaldo” independent from the cities of Florence and Lucca, its leadership being given to a dignitary with administrating functions instead of the king. During the period following the Carolingian era, before the constitution of the commune of Pistoia which happened around the year 1000, there was a series of noble families, among which the Counts Guidi and Cadolingi, who took the control of the territory.
From the 11th century on, Pistoia became a flourishing commercial centre taking profit from its position along the main commercial routes that were crossing in vertical sense the peninsula and that in great part were coinciding with the ones already traced by the Roman Empire.
The economic and demographic development are very early leading to internal power rivalries and to a series of frictions with the neighbouring communes; so, after the election of the pistoiesi consuls from 1105 AC, and the writing of the communal statutes in 1177 the peace of the city will be disturbed by the internal diatribes between Guelph and the Ghibelline first and the Guelph of black part and of white part then.
In external politics the good relations maintained with Pisa do not balance the fights always more intense with Prato, Lucca, Bologna and above all with Florence which in 1401 AC will succeed in obtaining the complete control of the city.
During the domination of the Medici Pistoia loses any form of auto government, becoming a peripheral centre and subordinated with respect to the commune of Florence and it will be necessary to wait for the Grand Duchy of the Lorena and the period marked by the leadership of Leopoldo, to see, as in many other Tuscany centres, the coming back of the investment in the local resources through public works.