The tower of Catilina and the Medicean fortress of Santa Barbara are the main examples of medieval and modern architecture in Pistoia.

The 30-metre high tower of Catilina stands at the back of Piazza del Duomo. The stone structure owes its name to the politician Lucio Sergio Catilina, who has gone down in history for having plotted against the Roman republic and senate. After having fled from the eternal city, Catilina died in 62 BC near Pistoia. The legend goes that the tower - which in the past was higher than today and towered over the roofs in this corner of Tuscany - faces the place where the Roman politician was buried. Renovated in the late 20th century, the tower of Catilina is an excellent observation point. Its top has been transformed into a belvedere terrace.

At the south-eastern corner of Pistoia`s historic centre, in the part of the town called Santa Maria Nuova stands the Medicean fortress of Santa Barbara. One of the architects who contributed to the construction of the 16th-century fortress was Bernardo Buontalenti, the author of the passageway that connects it to the city walls. The fortress, which Peter Leopold dismantled in 1734, has experienced only one siege. That is not so amazing: in fact what once was called fortress of San Barnaba was not built with the purpose of defending Pistoia from external assaults but to remind the inhabitants of the town that Florence dominated over Tuscany. Nowadays the fortress, its cellars and the donjon are open to the public. A tourist guide service is available.