Prato Area Tuscany that lives www.pratoturismo.it ENG Prato Area TUSCANY THAT LIVES Prato and its territory are not like all the others, are the dam- an ideal destination for an authen- ned Tuscans of Curzio Malaparte: “I tic and exciting journey. A land rich am from Prato, I am content with being in history, art, nature, spirituality, from Prato, and if I were not born in traditions, modernity, humanity and Prato I would not have come into the unforgettable flavors. Ancient peo- world. And I say this not because I am ple and famous people have traveled from Prato, and I want to smooth the and lived in these places, they have chin to my Prato citizens, but because I left indelible traces both in the land- think that the only fault of the Tuscans scape and in the minds of the inhabi- is that they are not all from Prato.” tants. Tuscan people from Prato are 2 PRATO AREA TUSCANY THAT LIVES PRATO CANTAGALLO CARMIGNANO MONTEMURLO POGGIO A CAIANO VAIANO VERNIO 3 Prato inside the walls ART AND HISTORY ith its wisely preser- oked by Palazzo Pretorio, an im- ved and always lively posing medieval building among the historic center, Pra- most original in Italy, which hou- to offers an original ses the homonymous museum. The visit experience. The journey through history proceeds journey starts from the elegant and and arrives in the large Piazza del- harmonious Curch of Santo Stefano, le Carceri on which stands the im- the Cathedral of the city, embelli- posing Emperor’s Castle, the only shed by the Pulpit by Donatello, a evidence of Swabian architecture in true architectural gem. Inside you central-northern Italy. On the same can admire the cycle of frescoes by square is the harmonious Basilica Filippo Lippi and the Chapel of the of Santa Maria delle Carceri, desi- Sacred Belt of the Madonna, which gned by Giuliano da Sangallo, an ar- houses the relic to which the people chitectural masterpiece of the early of Prato are particularly devoted. Renaissance. Do not miss a visit to The itinerary continues with a visit the Churches of San Francesco and to the Cathedral Museum and its San Domenico, both of conside- rich collection, up to the refined and rable artistic interest. lively Piazza del Comune, overlo- 4 PRATO AREA TUSCANY THAT LIVES Through the alleys and squares you reach the Textile Mu- seum, an expression of the city’s textile history and one of the major European institutions dedicated to enhance the ancient and contempo- rary fabrics. The Museum is housed in the former Campolmi Factory, the largest industrial complex of nineteenth-century origin existing inside the walls, that today is a multifunctional space and cultural center always animated by events, workshops, conventions and exhibitions. 5 Prato outside the walls CONTEMPORANEITY AND INFLUENCES utside the medieval cently renovated and enlarged in its walls of the city - well surprising structure that resembles preserved - is a con- an enormous flying saucer. Con- temporary and dyna- temporary art has landed in Prato mic city, full of surpri- finding its most fertile land in this ses, rich in buildings of industrial area. The Pecci Center is active at archeology, contemporary art in- international level with a wide pro- stallations, works of street art and gram of exhibitions and events in museum-parks. An itinerary that addition to the important perma- reaches its peak in the Luigi Pecci nent collection. Center for Contemporary Art, re- 6 PRATO AREA TUSCANY THAT LIVES Visiting Prato is a journey in the journey, a city that has always been open to discussion and hospitality, hosts many foreign communities among which the most numerous of these is the Chinese one, the largest in Italy. In Via Pistoiese and its dense network of streets you meet faces, flavors, colors and sounds of the Land of the Dragon. Between January and February, Chi- nese New Year is celebrated with feasts and events that color the city. 7 Poggio a Caiano and Carmignano MEDICEAN MUNICIPALITIES eaving Prato heading Villa is home to the Museum of Still south, flanking the lar- Life which exhibits paintings per- ge park of the Cascine manently, from the late sixteen- di Tavola, a beautiful th to the mid-eighteenth century, agricultural estate bu- among which numerous works by ilt by Lorenzo the Magnificent in Bartolomeo Bimbi depicting the 1477, we reach the Municipality of fruits produced in the Grand Duchy Poggio a Caiano with its splendid of Tuscany. Works that are still the Medici Villa “Ambra”, a UNESCO subject of historical and botanical World Heritage site. The Villa, com- researches by various universities missioned by Lorenzo de ’Medici to for the recovery of disappeared fruit Giuliano da Sangallo, was enriched and vegetable varieties. Do not miss by the works by Andrea del Sarto, a visit to the beautiful gardens of the Pontormo, Franciabigio and Allo- Villa which host numerous and rare ri. It was the Medici summer resi- plant species together with the hi- dence and the scene of important storic terracotta statues. events in their dynastic history. The 8 PRATO AREA TUSCANY THAT LIVES The journey continues towards Carmignano, where it is possible to admire the Visitation by Pontormo, a masterpiece and emblematic work of the first Florentine mannerism, kept in the Parish Church of San Francesco and San Michele. An exciting landscape of vineyards and rolling hills leads to Artimino, a vil- lage that houses the wonderful Medici Villa La Ferdinanda, also known as the one with One Hundred Chimneys, Unesco World Heritage, built by the architect Bernardo Buon- talenti by order of Grand Duke Ferdinan- do I de ‘Medici. A beautiful promena- de joins the Villa to the village of Artimino, where the Francesco Nicosia Etruscan Archaeo- logical Museum is located, which houses important Etruscan finds from the Montefortini Tumu- lus, the Necropolis of Prato Rosello and the archaeological area of Pietramarina. Nearby numerous historic sites such as the Romanesque Parish Church of S. Leonardo (10th cen- tury) and the splen- did Abbey of S. Giusto al Pinone, are worth a stop. The landscape de- notes the strong wine and olive growing vocation of the area where excellent oil is produced and above all the fine wines of Carmignano DOCG, DOC and IGT. Carmignano wine is the oldest DOC in the world, established in 1716 by the Grand Duke Cosimo III de ‘Me- dici. Among vineyards and olive groves stand out the imposing fig trees that allow the production of the famous Carmignano dried figs every year. 9 Prato Area TUSCANY THAT LIVES 10 11 Vaiano, Vernio and Cantagallo BISENZIO VALLEY he itinerary proceeds in its rounded peaks, that offers the a suggestive Tuscany, suggestion of a karst environment, between mountains, rich in caves, sinkholes, springs valleys and woods; it and extensive grasslands that have is Bisenzio Valley, with numerous spectacular panoramic the municipalities of Cantagallo, points. The Bisenzio Valley in the Vaiano and Vernio. A journey that Middle Ages was a border area mar- winds from the Tuscan-Emilian ked by the system of fortifications Apennines to the Prato plain. An that has monumental remains in the ideal place for walks, hiking, horse Cerbaia Fortress in Cantagallo and riding, mountain biking and rela- in the Vernio Fortress. In the area xing gastronomic stops. The Valley there are churches of considerable is crossed by the Route of Wool and artistic value such as the Abbey of Silk, a path that connects the cities Vaiano with the adjoining Museum of Bologna and Prato and allows to of Sacred Art and further north the admire a wild and unspoiled nature. Montepiano Abbey in Vernio. A unique naturalistic experience is the limestone Calvana massif, with 12 PRATO AREA TUSCANY THAT LIVES Of medieval origins, the Municipality of Cantagallo is the gateway to the Acquerino Cantagallo Nature Reserve, an important naturalistic he- ritage where there are magnificent secular chestnut groves, real protected natural monuments. From the uncontaminated woods the route continues to the discovery of contemporary art with a stop in the small village of Lu- icciana, a hamlet of Cantagallo, which has been welcoming for years in the squares and on the facades of houses, frescoes, installations and sculptures by contemporary artists, giving life to a real outdoor museum. The Valley also preserves many testimonies of industrial archeology such as the for- mer Meucci factory in Vernio, today the Mumat Museum - Textile Machi- nery Museum, which tells the story of the textile industry in the valley and the Factory-City in the village of La Briglia in Vaiano. 13 Montemurlo VILLAS AND NATURE he journey continues that belonged to noble and power- with destination Mon- ful Florentine families such as the temurlo where the Pucci, Baldi, Ridolfi, Gucci and Paz- beautiful and austere zi. Among the most beautiful ones: Fortress of the XIV century stands. the Villa del Barone, Villa Strozzi in In the main square of the charming Bagnolo, which today houses the historic village is the Parish Chur- farm where the famous Pinot Noir ch of San Giovanni Decollato, whi- is produced, Villa Giamari and Vil- ch preserves remarkable historical la Pazzi al Parugiano, owned by the and artistic features, including the Pazzi family. The Villas can be visi- Madonna with Child by Francesco ted on special occasions and by re- Granacci. Montemurlo is known servation, but their architecture is for the numerous villas and farms also appreciable from the outside. 14 PRATO AREA TUSCANY THAT LIVES A short walk from the center of Montemurlo is the protected na- tural area of Monteferrato,​​ a true oasis of biodiversity, where the “serpen- tine”, known as the green marble of Prato, once was mined and stood on the facades of the most important religious monuments of Tuscany and not only.