Fattoria Paterno

The Zoological Gardens of Pistoia, or the Zoo of Pistoia, is a 7-hectare space that is home to more than 400 animal species and is a special place that allows visitors to get to know the animals, while teaching us about the different ways to protect the animals and how to respect the planet.

Its importance as a place of education and conservation and its impressive scale (that is continually increasing in size) mean that it is one of the most important zoos in the entire country.

Just find yourself the perfect holiday rental in Tuscany and get to exploring the town and this amazing attraction that it boasts.

Pistoia dates back to the 2nd century BC, when it was founded to rest Roman troops fighting against the Liguri, and later became a Lombard benchmark.

Once you have found a vacation rental in Pistoia you might be looking for ways to fill your days while in this beautiful city.

Between the music festivals, historic and artistic gems, pretty views of the Tuscan landscape and local cuisine, you'll never be short on interesting (and delicious) things to see and do (and eat) but one event that we can particularly recommend is the traditional Feast of Saint Bartholomew that takes place on the 24th of August each year and combines a lot of the best parts of Pistoia in one event: good food, beautiful buildings, local tradition and the partying spirit of the city's inhabitants.

If you are planning on visiting this summer, this is one event that you won't want to miss!

Spend a wonderful holiday to Tuscany in the small province of Pistoia. The capital town is called Pistoia and the four other largest towns are called Quarrata, Monsummano Terme, Pescia and Montecatini Terme.

The popular skiing district of Abetone also lies within Pistoia territory and attracts lots of snow sport lovers every year.

Read about the wealth of extreme snow sports you can experience in Tuscany during the colder months. Book into a cosy vacation rental in the Pistoia area and explore its incredible surroundings at your leisure.

The town of Quarrata would be a lovely stop off to explore on your tour of Pistoia province.

Embark on one of the longest walk-able bridges in the world, in the mountains of Pistoia in Tuscany! All year around, a circular bridged trail here can be walked or cycled upon that leads through charming villages like Piteglio and Popiglio.

Choose from a wide range of beautiful villas in Pistoia where you can relax and unwind at after a few days of exploring this picturesque area!

You can begin your eight kilometre bridge trail from Popiglio which is easy to walk along as it is almost fully paved.

Lots of kids are interested in animals and lots of adults have fond memories of childhood visits to zoos so, whether you are travelling in Tuscany as a family with children among your number and are looking for something that they'll definitely enjoy doing or you simply want to know where you can go to see animals in Tuscany, then we recommend a day trip to the Zoological Gardens of Pistoia, or Pistoia Zoo.

This rather special 7-hectare zoo in Pistoia is home to more than 400 animal species and is especially dedicated to conservation and education. Created in 1970 thanks to Raffaello Galardini, Pistoia Zoo was established in a wooded area in the beautiful hills around the city of Pistoia and inaugurated on the 19th of April. There are around 600 animals living in the zoo and, among them, there are about 65 species of mammals, 40 species of birds and 30 species of reptiles. Some of the residents are more common animals often found locally that will be familiar, such as pigs, guinea pigs, oxen, donkeys, horses, goats, cows, rabbits, and other domesticated animals but other residents are from much further flung places and are not commonly found in Italy or Europe such as jaguars, polar bears, Rothschild's giraffes, Zebras (including baby Jordy who was born last year!), rare Madagascan ring-tailed lemurs, red pandas, penguins, elephants, lions, tigers, ostriches, Kookaburras, wallabies, meerkats, otters, pygmy hippos, monkeys, reindeer, crocodiles, pythons, turtles, tortoise, vipers, iguana, emus, flamingos, and more.