The Nurseries of Pistoia: Inside Europe's Green Capital
There is one detail almost every visitor notices as soon as they arrive in the hills above Pistoia: the plants. Everywhere. Neat rows of trees and shrubs stretching as far as the eye can see across the plain, for kilometres. It is neither an accident nor a local quirk: this is the largest plant-nursery district in Europe, so much so that Pistoia is known as the "Green Capital." It is one of the most distinctive — and least famous — features of this corner of Tuscany, and it is worth understanding, because it is quite literally the landscape you are standing in.
The Numbers Behind a Record
The Pistoia nursery district covers around five thousand hectares surrounding the city, in the fertile Ombrone valley, and includes over fifteen hundred specialised farms. They grow more than a thousand plant species in common cultivation — over two thousand counting the rare ones — and command a huge share of the market: this area alone accounts for around 77% of Tuscany's outdoor ornamental plant production, much of Italy's, and a significant slice of Europe's. The trees that leave here go on to adorn parks, avenues and gardens across half the world.
A Tradition Rooted in the Renaissance
Pistoia's green vocation has deep roots. The plants of this valley were already prized in the Renaissance, but the real turning point came at the end of the nineteenth century, when Florence became the capital of Italy and was embellished with trees and shrubs from precisely here. The secret lies entirely in the nature of the place: a basin sheltered from the winds, water-rich soil and a mild, rainy climate — ideal conditions for growing plants. Since then, generation after generation, that tradition has become an industry of excellence that now looks to the future, with research into growing media, sustainable water management and the circular economy.
How to Experience It as a Visitor
Most nurseries work wholesale, but the area has opened up to the public, and there are several ways to immerse yourself in this world:
Guided tours of the historic nurseries. Some of the best-known companies in the area — names such as Giorgio Tesi, Vannucci Piante and the Mati nurseries — organise guided visits to their grounds, among demonstration gardens, kitchen gardens and greenhouses. These are booked in advance, and some end with a lunch or the chance to buy plants directly.
Garden centres and direct sales. Many businesses have retail points open to everyone: a chance to take home a Tuscan plant, or simply to wander among the colours.
The landscape itself. Even just driving or cycling through the nursery countryside around Pistoia, between the rows, is a strangely hypnotic experience in its own right.
More Than Plants: Green Pistoia
This culture of green is felt in the city and its surroundings too. Pistoia, Italian Capital of Culture in 2017, holds a beautiful and often underrated old town, and the surrounding area has its share of botanical gardens, historic gardens and parks. Anyone who loves plants is, quite simply, in the right place.
Getting There from Villa Agnolaccio
There is nowhere you need to travel to: the nursery countryside is all around. Villa Agnolaccio sits right in the hills above Pistoia, overlooking this landscape; the nurseries and garden centres of the plain are a few minutes away by car, and the centre of Pistoia barely a quarter of an hour. For guided visits to the companies, it is best to contact them in advance to arrange a day and time.
Villa Agnolaccio: Staying in Pistoia's Green Countryside
There is a certain fittingness in visiting the green capital of Europe and then, in the evening, staying in a period residence set in its own garden. Villa Agnolaccio is exactly that: a house in the hills above Pistoia, among olive trees and plants, at the heart of the very landscape that made the area famous.
For anyone who loves greenery, gardening and nature, it is the ideal base: a morning visiting a historic nursery, an afternoon in Pistoia or on a hillside, and an evening in your own corner of calm, with the same green all around.
And it is a fine starting point for the rest, too: Lucca, Florence, Collodi and its garden, and the thermal spas of the Valdinievole, all within a short trip.
→ Book your stay at Villa Agnolaccio, in the green heart of Tuscany.