Voices from the past

The territory where Prato rises has been inhabited since the Stone Age, as many important findings bear witness too. In historical times the Ligurians settled there and then the Etruscans, followed by the Romans who gave the area the name of Pagus Cornius. Upon the fall of the Roman Empire, Prato's territory became a place for rest on military and trading routes; at this point the first town settlement started forming, initially divided into two villages, Borgo al Cornio and the castle of Pratum, of the Alberti family. After being an Albertine feud, Prato was conquered by the Marquise of Canossa and, later, becomes a Free Municipality. Between the 12th and the 13th century the city was fortified with two wall rings, which increased as its political and economical role grew, as it had become an important centre for wool trade. The fights between the Guelfs and the Ghibellines marked the history of Prato, geographically and culturally very close to Florence. And precisely to the latter city is the destiny of Prato tied into when, devastated by the plague, in the 14th century the city gives in to the Florentines' siege. The famous Spanish raid took place in 1512, a brusque continuity solution in the city's economic development. Between the 16th and the 18th century Prato started to take on a modern and "middle class" air, in the great riverbed of the Grand duchy of Tuscany. The industrial revolution deeply overtook the city, making it that centre of Italian and worldwide textile industry it still is.

Don't miss...

A stay in Prato must by all means include a visit to the Cattedrale di Santo Stefano. With splendid frescoes by Agnolo Gaddi, the cathedral maintains intact the Sacra cintola or Sacred belt (legend has it that it belonged to the Madonna) in a chapel which is also another very valuable work of art, enriched by the Madonna col Bambino by Giovanni Pisano. Lovers of a more ancient past, on the other hand, would find a visit to the archaeological areas very pleasant, as well as to the archaeological museum, the fruit of recent findings and evidence of Etruscan presence in the territory since the 6th century BC

Events

The most traditional of Prato events is by all means the Fiera di Maria or Maria's festival, celebrated from the 8th of September every year and dating back to the 14th century. A celebration that is very heartfelt by the populations, it entails the carrying of the Sacra Cintola and a procession by the most important Tuscan cities. At least a mention, finally, is well deserved by the Palio dei Ciuchi or Donkey race, held in Carmignano every 29th of September and the renaissance Corteggio storico in Oste di Montemurlo, the third Sunday in June.