PISTOIA – Yesterday the city council observed a minute’s silence for the victims of the explosion, which occurred in the Suviana hydroelectric power plant in the province of Bologna on Tuesday 9 April, to express condolences to the families of the victims.
A new way of voting on measures by city councilors began yesterday. In fact, electronic voting has been introduced through a special device which the city council has been equipped with: each councillor, using their identification card, expresses their vote on the measures which are immediately made known on a special screen.
Unanimous vote for point 4 on the agenda on the deferral until 31 December 2024 of the terms of validity of the agreement for the associated exercise of functions relating to hospitality and tourist information in the Pistoia and Montagna Pistoiese tourism sector.
The measure was presented by the tourism councilor.
«This is the request to defer the terms of the agreement until the end of December 2024 – said the councilor –, stipulated at the end of January 2019. This is necessary while waiting for the new regional law on tourism which should be approved by the summer (the new proposal was approved by the regional council but has not yet made it through the regional commission and then went on to be examined by the regional council)”.
The Tuscany Region must approve the new law on tourism. «The new law on tourism – explained the councilor – will modify some aspects of the 2018 law and therefore it is necessary, before renewing the agreement, to postpone it to the end of the year while waiting for the law to be discussed and approved in the regional council . If the law is not approved by December, we will still know more details than now because Anci Toscana, for example, has already presented its amendments and corrections to the new text presented by the regional tourism councilor Marras. The signing of the new agreement will therefore take place on the basis of the new regional tourism law.”
Constitution and functions of tourist areas. «The consolidated text on tourism – explained the councilor – was approved with regional law 86 of 2016, subsequently modified with law 24 of 2018, the one which provided for tourist areas. Our tourist area is called Pistoia and Montagna Pistoiese and is made up of 9 Municipalities: Pistoia (leader), Agliana, Serravalle Pistoiese, Montale, Quarrata, Marliana, Sambuca Pistoiese, San Marcello Piteglio and Abetone Cutigliano. The areas perform a tourist reception and information function; the promotion, however, is carried out by Toscana Promozione”.
The tourism councilor then illustrated point 5 on the agenda, namely the convention between the Municipalities of Abetone Cutigliano, San Marcello Piteglio, Pistoia, Serravalle Pistoiese, Monsummano Terme, Larciano, Lamporecchio, Quarrata, Vinci, Cerreto Guidi, Fucecchio and San Miniato for the associated exercise of functions relating to the promotion and improvement of the usability of the Tuscan stretch of the “Romea Strata”.
This provision, presented by the tourism councilor, was also approved approved by unanimous vote.
«This is the renewal of the agreement on the route of the Romea Strata, which starts from Tallinn in Estonia and arrives in Rome – said the tourism councilor -. This path covers 28 kilometers of our territory. In Italy it enters the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia to continue in Veneto, Emilia Romagna and from here enter the territory of Abetone Cutigliano and then San Marcello Piteglio up to Pontepetri and continue towards Le Grazie arriving in Ponte Calcaiola and then in Pistoia. The journey then continues towards Serravalle Pistoiese, Monsummano Terme, Larciano; then for 200 meters it enters the municipality of Quarrata and then Vinci, Cerreto Guidi and San Miniato intersecting with the Francigena. Fucecchio is the leading municipality and Pistoia has always collaborated very well with both the political and technical sides for the visibility and promotion of this path.”
Romea Strata, the agreement goes from 3 to 5 years. «The only change compared to the last three-year agreement – said the councilor – is the renewal every 5 years. It was decided by the conference of mayors and therefore by all the municipalities involved. The path before was not yet well established. Now the Romea Strata is also in the regional atlas of paths.”
Three paths that pass through Pistoia included in the regional atlas of paths. «The Romea Strata, the path of San Jacopo and the Romea Imperiale, which from Germany arrives in Emilia Romagna and goes towards Perugia-Assisi, are included in the regional atlas of paths – the tourism councilor recalled –. The latter also touches Pistoia passing on a part of the path of San Bartolomeo up to Pontepetri, then arrives at Spedaletto and goes down together with the Francesca della Sambuca. This too is an international journey that arrives in Rome.”
The other two paths that pass through Pistoia are: San Bartolomeo, which comes from Fiumalbo, and the Via Francesca della Sambuca, which comes from Bologna.
