Comune di Pistoia

The via de' Rossi begins near the gate of Porta Sant'Andrea which was part of the medieval circle of city walls (vs8).The street got its name from the family that owned most of the buildings in the area from the thirteenth century on; in fact the crossroads with via Abbi Pazienza (s.i.) was called canto de' Rossi, a name still used in the city today.
The de' Rossi family's palazzo was built by the architect Raffaello Ulivi in the mid eighteenth century on an area that had been occupied by medieval towers. The façade was decorated with richly elaborate stone elements in keeping with Baroque taste while the inside, with its wide staircase and frescoed rooms, is a typical example of an aristocratic residence. Across the street is the palazzo del Monte Pio whose main façade looks out on the via Abbi. Pazienza and incorporates a part of the medieval city walls. In the second half of the 1500s, the Opera della Sapienza (vs19) decided to erect a building in order to employ workers in a time of economic crisis. The construction was already in an advanced stage when a few years later the Fiorentine architect Bernardo Buontalenti (vs9) was hired to continue with a project of his own. The main façade has a very simple plan, showing the harmonious style that distinguished Buontalenti's work. When construction was completed,the building was bought by the Sozzifanti family who had accumulated considerable wealth during the sixteenth century. In the mid 1800s the last Sozzifanti descendent named Carlo Lodovico di Borbone as his heir, and the latter would later donate the building to the City of Pistoia. In the early twentieth century the City turned it over to the Monte di Pietà (the public pawn office) which, after some years, was bought up by the Cassa di Risparmio (vs15);the local savings bank becarne the owner of the palazzo. and its teller windows are still open for business on the ground floor. Beyond a walled garden on the via de' Rossi, we find the Oratorio dei Santi Giusto e Lucia which has been made into a private house. The coat of arms of the Vergiolesi family who were patrons of this oratory in the mid-1200s is still visible on the architrave over the main entrance. The Oratory was consecrated at that time to Saint Luciina and meetings of the Congrega dei Pagliosi were heid here; Fioravanti claimed that the congregation got its name from the wine flask, il paglioso, that each member brought and drank from before meetings. Maybe it is from the same group that vicolo del Fiasco, the lane running along the side of the oratory, got its name.
Continuing along towards the Santo Spirito church (vs37), we see the church of 5. Michele in Cioncio on the left. Some believe this name refers to the early existence in the area of some wool factories called ciompi; others believe it refers to tanneries for leather which in Pistoia are called concia, The structure of the church recalls eleventh and twelfth century construction but traces of earlier origins can be seen in the name of the church as well as in a fragment of High Medieval decorative sculpture. Changes made to the building in the seventeenth and eighteenth century have been removed.
The portal above the doorway once housed the statue of the Archangel Michael carved by Guido da Como (vs23).

A Curious Place Name: via Abbi Pazienza

The street that runs from the church of San Filippo towards the canto de' Rossi is called via Abbi Pazienza because of the writing on a walled stone above the fountain: L'omo si rnuta. (Man changes.) - Perché? (Why?) - Per lo meglio. (for the better). - Abbi pacienza. (Be patient).
It was written by the refugees who had to leave Pistoia after the fighting between Black and White party factions. There is, however, a more popular legend behind the street name, as the local historian Bruni writes: once a man mistook his friend far an arch enemy and assaulted him, once he realised his mistake he asked his friend's forgiveness, saying "Abbia pazienza".