History
Collodi is famous for having supplied Carlo Lorenzini's penname; it is the birthplace of his mother and where the author of ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' spent his childhood. Collodi has three important features: the old village, the Garzoni Garden and Pinocchio Park, all in harmony with the Tuscan landscape with the ability to give free reign to the imagination in unusual, fairy-tale dimensions.
The Mayor of Pescia, Rolando Anzilotti, had the idea of celebrating Pinocchio at Collodi in 1951 when he set up a Committee for a Pinocchio Monument and invited major artists to take part in a competition. The two equal winners were Emilio Greco with “Pinocchio and the Fairy” and Venturino Venturi with the “Mosaic Square”. The famous bronze sculpture, 5 metres tall, showing the metamorphosis of Pinocchio and the extraordinary mosaics depicting scenes designed by the architects Renato Baldi e Lionello De Luigi, were unveiled in 1956. By 1962 the Park had become a well-established cultural reality and the Committee became the Carlo Collodi National Foundation. In 1963 the Red Shrimp Tavern by Giovanni Michelucci was opened and houses the restaurant and a space for conferences, performances and workshops.
In 1972 a continuation of the Land of Toys was created, designed by Pietro Porcinai and decorated with 21 bronze sculptures by Pietro Consagra and constructions by the architect Marco Zanuso.
The Pinocchio Park is an open-air museum full of contemporary works of art. It hosts temporary exhibitions and children can play and learn in the park. Pinocchio's interactive museum is a new attraction, which opened in 2020.
