Pinocchio in Florence: places, history and fun facts

Like most Italian and especially Tuscan children, Pinocchio was one of the first books I ever read, a true pillar of my childhood. I still love it. It is a masterpiece of children’s literature, and is deeply linked to Tuscany, Florence and its countryside. Many people ask me why there are some many Pinocchios around Florence, or where Pinocchio was born… Here is a useful post about it!

• I am a licensed tour guide in Florence! Learn more about my tours in Florence.

Who was Pinocchio and where he was born

Pinocchio, the famous wooden puppet, is the protagonist of the famous children’s book written by Carlo Lorenzini – aka Carlo Collodi – The Adventures of Pinocchio. The journalist and writer was born and lived in Florence between the 1800s and 1900s.

He wrote Pinocchio as a serial novel between 1881 and 1882 in a popular Italian children’s magazine called Giornale per i Bambini. The story had an amazing success since the beginning, and in 1883 the first edition was published.

Pinocchio originally should have ended in the fifteenth chapter, with the death of Pinocchio by hanging! But the readers got angry and sent thousands of letters of protest to the newspaper. So Carlo Collodi was forced to bring his character back to life and continue the story up to the thirty-sixth chapter.

Today Pinocchio has been translated into over 240 different languages ​​and published all over the world. It is the second most translated book in world literature, right after the Bible.

Pinocchio: Book VS Disney movie

Disney has made a cartoon that has become very famous all over the world, but the story of the wooden marionette has been completely changed: Disney removed some characters and added some others; they also ignored many violent moments and grotesque details. Just an example: in the book Pinocchio is not swallen by a whale, but instead by a “dog-fish”, pesce-cane in Italian, which means shark.

I always recommend reading The Adventures of Pinocchio, the book, to know the true story. Which is very un-Disneyian, sometimes cruel and merciless, but very funny and educational.

Where to stay in Florence

Carlo Lorenzini was born in Florence in 1826, in via Taddea, his parents were servants of the wealthy Ginori family. The Ginori family helped the young Carlo to have a religious education, but he abandoned his studies to devote himself to writing and journalism.

In 1848 he volunteered in the wars of independence for the unification of Italy. Once gained independence, he devoted himself to translating the most important French fairy tales and writing novels for children. And that’s how he ended up writing The Adventures of Pinocchio.

He decided to use a nickname instead of his real surname, and he picked Collodi, the name of the tuscan village where his mother was from, and where he spent many happy moments as a child.

Pinocchio in Florence: places

The adventures of Pinocchio are set in an unspecified town in the Tuscan countryside.

According to some, Pinocchio is set in the area north of Florence, in the villages of Peretola, Sesto Fiorentino and Osmannoro. Today these areas have now become the outskirts of Florence: this is where the airport and the industrial area of ​​the city are located.

Now I’ll let you discover all the places in Florence linked to Pinocchio and its author Carlo Collodi.

Carlo Collodi’s birthplace

As I said before, Carlo Collodi was born in via Taddea 21 / n, in one of the houses owned by the wealthy and ancient Ginori family. Carlo’s parents were both working as servants for the Ginoris. The house is still today a private building, so you can’t visit it. But they have placed a plaque that remembers the writer’s birthplace on it.

Carlo Collodi’s house

Collodi also lived at Palazzo Ginori, the magnificent palace of the Ginory family. Carlo was living here because his brother was working as a book keeper for the Ginoris.

The palace is in via de ‘Ginori 11 (this is also a private building so no visits inside). Here too there is a plaque to commemorate the illustrious tenant.

The writer’s grave

Carlo Collodi is buried in his family’s tomb in the Porte Sante Cemetery, behind the church of San Miniato al Monte. It’s a wonderful place, very close to Piazzale Michelangelo, with the same magnificent view on Florence. And it’s packed with beautiful statues, chapels and monumental graves.

The family chapel bears the surname Lorenzini (the real surname of Carlo, as Collodi is a nickname), and unfortunately nothing can be seen from the outside, but on the doors you can often find flowers, letters and small gifts of loyal readers.

• Find out more about the Porte Sante Cemetery! I also give a guided tour of that beautiful place.

Statue of Pinocchio in Florence

In piazza del Mercato Centrale (San Lorenzo Market) you can find a statue dedicated to Pinocchio made by the contemporary artist Thomas Cecchi.

The statue is located ouside of the Centralk market and a few steps from Collodi’s birthplace in via Taddea! it’s also right in front of one of my favorite restaurants in that area, Trattoria Zazà.

Toy and Pinocchio Museum

In Florence there is also a museum dedicated to ancient toys, which also has a collection dedicated to Pinocchio. The collection of the museum has toys from all over Europe, dating from the 1700s to 1950 and it’s simply amazing. Each piece has a unique story to tell, and you could spend hours listening to each one of them. I truly love this place!

The museum has also an amazing collection dedicated to Pinocchio: it was put together over decades by the Pinocchio a Casa Sua cultural association, created by Giuseppe Garbarino, and includes toys, paintings, books and any kind of curiosities.

The Toy and Pinocchio museum is also regularly housing temporary exhibits of local and international artists.

The Toy and Pinocchio Museum in Florence is located in via dell’Oriuolo 47, a few steps from the Cathedral and Piazza Duomo. It’s open every day from 10 am to 6 pm.

Pinocchio store in Florence

For true Pinocchio fans, I recommend a visit to the Pinocchio Store (in via de ‘Guicciardini 6/r), owned by Paolo, who has a true passion for Pinocchio. Wooden toys, puppets, plushes, t-shirts, bags and books in many different languages.

The Pinocchio storie is the perfect place to find a gift for a kid, and it’s just a stone’s throw away from Ponte Vecchio. You can find more info on the website of the store.

I hope that you learned something new about Pinocchio, the most popular and beloved children’s book of all ages!