Prato

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For other uses, see Prato (disambiguation).

Comune di Prato
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Province	Prato (PO)
Mayor	Marco Romagnoli (since June 13, 2004)

Elevation	65 m
Area	97 km²
Population
- Total (as of January 2, 2006)	183,864
- Density	1,757/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	43°52′48″N, 11°05′54″E
Gentilic	Pratesi
Dialing code	0574
Postal code	59100
Frazioni	See list
Patron	St. Stephen
- Day	December 26
Website: www.comune.prato.it

Prato is a city in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato.

Historically, the economy of Prato has been based upon the textile industry. The renowned Datini archives are a significant archive of early medieval documents produced years between 1363 and 1410. The Textile Museum also reflects this history.

Prato is also a centre of the slow food movement, with many other local specialities, including cantucci, a type of biscotti, sold by local speciality bakers.

Since the late 1950s, the city has been a target of a great immigration, first from southern Italy, then other nationalities. Since the late 1980s a large Chinese community has settled in the city. With more than 180,000 inhabitants, Prato is Tuscany's second largest city and the third largest in Central Italy, after Rome and Florence.

The Cathedral of Prato.

1 History
2 Main sights
3 Frazioni
4 Notable citizens
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

In 1512 the city was sacked by the Spanish troops assembled by Pope Julius II to recover the nearby city of Florence for the Medici family. The severity of the sack of Prato led to the surrender of the Florentine Republic to a restoration of Medici rule.

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[edit] Main sights

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Prato is home to many museums and other cultural monuments, including the Filippo Lippi frescoes in the Cathedral of Santo Stefano, currently under restoration. The Cathedral has an external pulpit by Donatello.

Palazzo Pretorio.
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Palazzo Pretorio was built from the 13th century in red bricks. The part in white stone is from late-Gothic era. In the 16th century an external staircase and a watch were added.

A further major attraction of the city is the Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci a museum and education centre concerned with contemporary arts.

Prato is also the home of the Monash University Centre. The Centreis now the largest Australian academic institution of its kind in Europe, providing a strong link between Australian scholars, students, and their European counterparts, as well as providing English-language training. The centre hosts many international conferences in its heritage-listed building.

[edit] Frazioni

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

[edit] Notable citizens

Nicolo Albertini, cardinal, in the 1200s
Francesco Datini, merchant in the 1300s, "the merchant of Prato"
Filippino Lippi, painter in the 1500s
Lorenzo Bartolini, sculptor, 1777-1850
Curzio Malaparte, writer, 1898-1957
Fiorenzo Magni, cyclist, 1920-
Roberto Benigni, actor and director (actually born near Arezzo but he used to live in Prato with the family.)
Jury Chechi, gymnast, olympic gold medalist
Domenico Zipoli, composer, 1688-1726