province of Pistoia

{{Short description|Province of Italy}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Province of Pistoia

| native_name = {{native name|it|Provincia di Pistoia}}

| settlement_type = Province

| image_skyline = Palazzo_del_bal%C3%AC.jpg

| image_alt =

| image_caption = Palazzo Panciatichi in Pistoia, the provincial seat

| image_flag =

| flag_alt =

| image_shield = Provincia di Pistoia-Stemma.svg

| shield_alt =

| image_map = Pistoia in Italy.svg

| map_alt =

| map_caption = Map highlighting the location of the province of Pistoia in Italy

| coordinates =

| coordinates_footnotes =

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{flag|Italy}}

| subdivision_type1 = Region

| subdivision_name1 = Toscana

| established_title =

| established_date =

| seat_type = Capital(s)

| seat = Pistoia

| parts_type = Comuni

| parts_style = para

| p1 = 20

| government_footnotes =

| leader_party =

| leader_title = President

| leader_name = Rinaldo Vanni

| unit_pref = Metric

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 = 964.12

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_m =

| population_footnotes =

| population_total = 291815

| population_as_of = 30 June 2015

| population_density_km2 = auto

| demographics_type2 = GDP

| demographics2_footnotes = [http://stats.oecd.org/ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional Gross Domestic Product (Small regions TL3)], OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.

| demographics2_title1 = Total

| demographics2_info1 = €7.302 billion (2015)

| demographics2_title2 = Per capita

| demographics2_info2 = €24,986 (2015)

| timezone1 = CET

| utc_offset1 = +1

| timezone1_DST = CEST

| utc_offset1_DST = +2

| postal_code_type = Postal code

| postal_code = 51100

| area_code_type = Telephone prefix

| area_code = 0573

| iso_code =

| registration_plate = PT

| blank_name_sec1 = ISTAT

| blank_info_sec1 = 047

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

The province of Pistoia ({{langx|it|provincia di Pistoia}}) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pistoia and the province is landlocked. It has an area of {{convert|964.12|km2|mi2}} and a total population of 291,788 inhabitants (as of 2015).{{cite web|url=http://www.tuttitalia.it/toscana/provincia-di-pistoia/|title=Provincia di Pistoia|publisher=Tutt Italia|access-date=1 August 2015}} There are 22 comuni ({{singular}}: comune) in the province.{{cite web|url=http://www.upinet.it/indicatore.asp?id_statistiche=6|title=Pistoia|publisher=Upintet|access-date=1 August 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807094512/http://www.upinet.it/indicatore.asp?id_statistiche=6|archive-date=7 August 2007}}

The province was formed in 1927 under the rule of Mussolini, and had the lowest income per capita in Tuscany in 1966 due to high poverty levels. This is because the province was mainly agricultural before World War II ended, and has since had to rapidly progress towards industrial capitalism and abandon its agricultural roots.{{cite book|author=John A. Agnew|title=Place and Politics in Modern Italy|date=1 October 2002|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-01051-9|pages=129–}} The population of the province has recently been increasing, moving from 268,437 in 2011 to around 292,000 in 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.tuttitalia.it/toscana/provincia-di-pistoia/statistiche/popolazione-andamento-demografico/|title=Popolazione provincia di Pistoia 2001-2014|publisher=Tutt Italia|access-date=1 August 2015}}

The Mountains of Pistoia and the resorts Abetone and Val di Luce are tourist destinations for skiers, and the province contains a combination of flat land such as the area of the valley of the Ombrone and the river flowing through it, and mountainous land. The city of Pistoia is roughly {{convert|40|km|mi}} away from both Lucca and Florence.{{cite web|url=http://www.discovertuscany.com/pistoia/|title=Pistoia|publisher=Discover Tuscany|access-date=1 August 2015}} The land around the cities of Pistoia and Pescia are popular locations for flower and plant cultivation for global exports, and town and commune Quarrata is known for its wood furniture.