Record-breaking Tuscany
5 min · 31 Aug 2023

Beloved by tourists from all over the world for its immense cultural, artistic and landscape heritage, Tuscany is the region of records. It has several of them scattered throughout the territory. Let’s discover together what they are!
The world’s smallest theatre
In the beautiful hills of the Garfagnana, specifically in the municipality of Pescaglia (province of Lucca), is the Teatrino di Vetriano, which in 1997 the Guinness Book of Records Commission recognised as the smallest historic public theatre in the world. Nicknamed ‘La Bomboniera’, it is an architectural delight rare in the world. It has just 85 seats and measures a total of 71 square metres. Its history dates back to 1889, when engineer Virgilio Biagini donated a modest barn to the small community to be used as a theatre. Only one year after work began, in 1890, it was able to host its first performances. It later fell into neglect and became unfit for use, until, in 1997, it was donated to the FAI, which restored it. It currently hosts a regular playbill.
The oldest Mint in Europe
Everyone knows the masterpieces and attractions of Lucca, but few know that this small city with its fascinating and enthralling atmosphere is home to the oldest mint in Europe. It was opened in 650, at the time of the Lombards, and minted money for twelve centuries (until 1853). It has recently resumed its activity by minting historical coins used in the city in the past. Today, at the Casermetta San Donato, on the historic Renaissance walls, one can visit the Museum of the Ancient Mint of Lucca. It houses a large collection of scales and monetary weights, a selection of medals by excellent engravers from Lucca, and the ‘Luigi Giorgi Artistic Fund’, consisting of around 450 objects. It also hosts temporary exhibitions.
The largest masonry dome ever built
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, better known as the Duomo of Florence, is one of the most iconographically and historically recognisable symbols of the city. Its marvellous dome, soaring proudly into the Florentine sky, was built between 1420 and 1436 to a design by Filippo Brunelleschi. At the time of its construction, it was the largest dome in the world and remains to this day the largest masonry vault ever built. It has a diameter of 45.50 metres and rises on a drum placed 54 metres above the ground, reaching a height of 116 metres (including the 22 metres of the top lantern). The structure is actually composed of two domes, one inside and one outside, the first of which has a greater angle than the other and supports it.
Drilling deeper than a geothermal well
Larderello, a fraction of the municipality of Pomarance (province of Pisa), is one of the world’s geothermal centres. It produces 10 per cent of the world’s geothermal energy, amounting to 4800 GWh per year, powering one million Italian homes. In 1998, it entered the Guinness Book of Records thanks to the geothermal well dug by Enel’s drilling department in Sasso Pisano, the ‘Sasso 22’, an impressive 4093 metres deep. Today, the Geothermal Museum can be visited near the Enel Green Power headquarters in Larderello. Equipped with the most modern museography techniques, it illustrates the various aspects related to geothermal phenomena. The visit includes, in addition to the museum rooms, the model room, the covered lake and the thermal spring.
The tallest wooden Pinocchio in the world
The village of Collodi, a hamlet in the municipality of Pescia (province of Pistoia), is famous for having given its pseudonym to Carlo Lorenzini, the author of the novel ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio. Storia di un burattino’, which recounts the tragicomic experiences of an animated puppet sculpted by the carpenter Geppetto. A park is dedicated to the famous puppet, where his story is retold through sculptures, mosaics and architecture. Just outside the park you can admire the world’s tallest wooden Pinocchio, which measures an impressive 16 metres. The record-breaking Pinocchio was made by a Swiss company specialising in particularly complex constructions based on wood and already creator of the previous record-breaking Pinocchio, which was 13 metres high.
Photo gallery Vetriano theatre © FAI | Museum of the Ancient Mint of Lucca © Turismo Lucca | Brunelleschi’s dome © Ministero della Cultura


