Good morning from Pistoia. Here are six verified local developments for Wednesday, August 5.
1. Public meeting tonight on African swine fever
The Municipality is holding an open information meeting at 9 p.m. tonight at the Casa del Popolo Niccolò Puccini, Via Bolognese 2 in Capostrada. Officials and specialists will discuss the spread of African swine fever, current prevention and management work, and the latest local situation. The meeting is intended to give residents practical, updated information about a disease that affects wild boar and domestic pigs but does not infect humans. Source: Comune di Pistoia.
2. Finance police report intensified anti-drug enforcement
Since January, the Guardia di Finanza says it has checked 196 people and 98 vehicles across the province, seized about 300 grams of illegal drugs, referred three people to prosecutors and reported 62 users to prefectures. In the latest operation in Agliana, officers found 18 packets of cocaine concealed inside a car’s air-conditioning system and seized more than €2,700 in cash; one man was arrested and taken to Pistoia prison pending judicial proceedings. Source: Report Pistoia.
3. Montale incinerator plan faces a call for a local referendum
The debate over a proposed 100,000-tonne waste-to-energy facility in Montale has intensified. The town’s Democratic Party branch has challenged Mayor Ferdinando Betti’s support for the plan and asked for the consultative referendum permitted by the municipal statute, arguing that residents need a direct role before a long-term decision is made. The dispute also involves neighbouring municipalities concerned about capacity, recycling strategy and local environmental effects. Source: La Nazione – Pistoia.
4. Valdinievole pools absorb demand while Montecatini’s municipal facility stays closed
With Montecatini’s municipal pool unavailable during the summer, residents are using the Panteraie pool in the city, the public pool in Monsummano and the Don Carlos complex near the Chiesina Uzzanese motorway exit. Current published prices start at €10 on weekdays at Panteraie, €10.50 for an adult single entry in Monsummano and €12 for a full-day adult ticket at Don Carlos. Visitors should confirm opening times and prices directly before travelling. Source: Il Tirreno – Montecatini.
5. Conservation begins on the Civic Museum’s medieval San Francesco panel
Conservators are starting maintenance work on the thirteenth-century panel depicting Saint Francis and episodes from his life, one of the most important works in Pistoia’s Civic Museum of Ancient Art. The intervention prepares the painting for a loan to an exhibition in Arezzo marking the eighth centenary of the saint’s death, extending the international exhibition history of a work previously shown at the National Gallery in London. Source: Comune di Pistoia.
6. Collection of 2026–27 hunting permits starts tomorrow
Paper hunting permits can be collected from August 6 at the municipal Sportello Caccia, Via dei Macelli 11/C, by appointment only; last season’s permit must be returned at the same time. Applicants need the relevant firearms licence, supporting card and payment receipts. Hunters may instead use the free Toscaccia digital permit, which activates immediately without a visit to the municipal office. Source: Comune di Pistoia.
This briefing was prepared from local reporting and official notices available on the morning of August 5, 2026. Details may change; follow the linked sources for subsequent updates.