Prato is a town of Italy, located in Toscane at a score of Kilomètre S at the north of Florence.

Prato counts nearly 180.000 inhabitants. It is the chief town of the Province of Prato.

It is a city which saw primarily its production activities of the textile and its trade. Geography -->

History

Historically, Prato still has its medieval fortifications like much of Tuscan cities. During the Italian rebirth it underwent the yoke of the family Medicis which massacred the population of it in order to show her ire with the inhabitants of Florence, which enabled them to return to the capacity in the city of the lily without fighting.

In the neighborhoods of Prato is always the Villa médicéenne of Poggio has Caiano which one can visit. The creation of this masonry will open, in Architecture, the dialog of the residence and of the garden, models of which will be inspired inter alia the craftsmen by the French great century who will create the Château of Be worth-the-Viscount close to Paris.

Finally Prato is known to have been during the rebirth a European money market of very first plan. It is in this city that Francesco di Marco Datini invented the Bill of exchange so that the tradesmen can cross the Europe without risk to be made détrousser. That was very useful in particular for the trade with the countries of the Hanse of the north of Europe. Economy -->

Culture

Personalities born in Prato

• Curzio Malaparte, writer, journalist and diplomat (Prato 1898 - Rome 1957)
• Domenico Zipoli, musician and missionary Jesuit (Prato 1688 - 1726)
• Filippino Lippi, painter (Prato 1457 - Florence 1504)
• Jury Chechi, gymnaste, born in Prato in 1969
• Paolo Rossi, Italian footballer born in Prato in 1956
• Vasco Pratolini, writer (1913-1991)
• Francesco Datini, merchant and financier (born and died in Prato respectively in 1335 and 1410)

Monuments

The center town of Prato east girds medieval ramparts and contains the whole of the principal monuments:

• the castle strengthened of the emperor Frederic II and his son Frederic d' Antioche. It was set up of 1237 to 1248 per Frederic II on the crossroads which connected the Italian reign to the Germanic one.

The building, in spite of the distance, returns to the typology of the castles of Frederic II in Pouilles and Sicily.

• It Duomo (the cathedral) and its bell-tower on the place of the same name. The cathedral of style romano-pisan is remarkable by its invoice. It has an external pulpit dedicated to the Santo-Cingolo , i.e. Virgin Mary Holy-Girdles given by it to Saint-Thomas. The pulpit is covered with the Danse of Putti , a work carved by Giovanni Pisano according to a painting of Donatello. Inside frescos of Paolo Ucello are.

• the Common Piazza LED (place of the town hall) where is set up the statue of Francesco di Marco Datini and the Palais Pretorio .

• the Palazzo Datini , palate of the banking and commercial rich person

• the church San Domenico and its pretty cloister planted of olive-trees
• the church Santa Maria delle Carceri (Sainte-Marie of the prisons), located close to the castle, and which was built under the orders of Laurent de Médicis. It constitutes a turning in the religious architecture by its form made up of two equal naves and a central cupola allowing a remarkable lighting.

Commemorative event

Festivals, fairs -->

Administration

Hamlets

Borgonuovo, Cafaggio, Canneto, Capezzana, Casale, Castelnuovo, Chiesanuova, Coiano, Figline di Prato, Filettole, Fontanelle, Galcetello, Galceti, Galciana, Gonfienti, Grignano, I Ciliani, I Lecci, It Cantiere, It Guado, It Soccorso, Iolo, Castellina, Conca, Dogaia, Macine, Pietà, Querce, Badie, Caserane, Fonti, Fornaci, Maliseti, Mazzone, Mezzana, Narnali, Paperino, Pizzidimonte, Reggiana, San Giorgio has Colonica, San Giusto, San Paolo, Santa Cristina has Pimonte, Santa Lucia, Santa Maria has Colonica, Sant'Andrea, Sant' Ippolito, Tavola, Tobbiana, Viaccia, Vergaio.

Communes bordering

Agliana (Pistoia), Calenzano (Florence), Campi Bisenzio (Florence), Carmignano, Montemurlo, Poggio has Caiano, Quarrata (Pistoia), Vaiano. Twinnings

Photograph gallery -->

See too

• Province of Prato
• Villa médicéenne of Poggio has Caiano
• Liste of the Italian cities of more than 25.000 inhabitants

External bonds -->

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