Valdinievole Open Week — Pieve a Nievole

A widespread festival in the heart of Valdinievole

The Valdinievole Open Week is a widespread cultural event that brings fifteen Tuscan municipalities to life every spring under the evocative banner of "From Leonardo to Pinocchio". The festival was created to showcase a corner of Tuscany studied by Leonardo da Vinci and home to the world's most famous puppet, weaving together culture, nature, history, art, and food and wine into a single calendar of free events. Among the key participating towns is Pieve a Nievole, in the province of Pistoia, which offers a compact yet dense program that tells the story of the town and its Padule wetlands.

The program in Pieve a Nievole

The centerpiece of the local offering is the documentary exhibition "The Grand Duke's Pieve", hosted at the Town Hall in Piazza XX Settembre. The exhibition traces the territory's evolution from a rural village to a bustling hub, with a focus on the Leopoldine reforms and the land reclamation projects of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. During the festival, it is joined by "Art at the Workshop", an exhibition of works by students from the Cantiere d'arte on Via Matteotti, featuring free workshops in drawing, painting, modeling, and ceramic decoration open to both adults and children.

• The Grand Duke's Pieve — documentary exhibition at the Town Hall, a historical journey through the Leopoldine reforms.
• Art at the Workshop — exhibition and free art workshops on Via Matteotti.
• Walking with the Grand Duke — guided excursion into the Padule, in collaboration with the CAI Pescia and Valdinievole section, discovering historical traces and reclamation works.
• Lands of Tuscany — exhibition dedicated to the artist Benvenuto Benvenuti.
• Cultural events, local history conferences, and festive moments in the town center.

Nature, history, and community

The "Walking with the Grand Duke" excursion takes visitors into the Padule di Fucecchio, one of Tuscany's most evocative wetlands, recounting the major reclamation projects commissioned by the House of Lorraine. It is an opportunity to combine hiking, landscape, and historical education in a format that characterizes the entire Open Week. In Pieve a Nievole, the festival is promoted by the Municipality in collaboration with Valdinievole Turismo, local associations, and the Istituto Storico Lucchese, reflecting a community that treats its history as a shared heritage.

An event for everyone

With its free and accessible nature, the Pieve a Nievole Open Week is aimed at families, schools, history buffs, and visitors seeking an authentic Tuscany, far from the beaten path. The province of Pistoia and the entire Valdinievole region find here a showcase capable of combining slow tourism, local culture, and landscape appreciation.