Palazzo Ganucci Cancellieri

Just a few meters to your right stands Palazzo Ganucci Cancellieri, one of the finest noble palaces in Pistoia. Built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, it reflects the wealth and influence of the Cancellieri family, one of the most powerful, and also one of the most turbulent, in the city’s history. Take a moment to look at the façade. It belongs to the late Mannerist style, deliberately different from Florentine architecture. That was no coincidence. At the time, Pistoia was under Florentine control, and this kind of choice was a way of asserting a certain independence. Just above the central window, you might notice an unusual detail: the family’s coat of arms, showing… a pig. It may seem surprising, but it goes back to an old nickname linked to the family’s origins. Rather than hiding it, they chose to embrace it and display it with pride. To understand the importance of this palace, we need to go back to the late 13th century. The Cancellieri family split into two rival branches, the Bianchi on one side, born from a first marriage and associated with fair hair, and the Neri on the other, from a second marriage, linked to darker hair. What began as a family dispute soon turned into violent clashes across the city. These tensions quickly spread beyond Pistoia and reached Florence, where they contributed to the famous division between the White Guelphs and the Black Guelphs, a conflict that would divide Tuscany for decades. The Black Guelphs supported the Pope, while the White Guelphs pushed for greater independence from papal authority. Dante Alighieri, who was politically active in Florence at the time, belonged to the White Guelph faction. In 1302, when the Black Guelphs came to power, they launched a wave of condemnations against their opponents. Dante was accused of corruption and sentenced to exile, under threat of death if he returned. He would spend the rest of his life away from Florence, an event that deeply shaped his work, especially The Divine Comedy. So in a way, a family rivalry that began here in Pistoia ended up influencing one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature.