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DISCOVERING
THE Cities
From
Piazza San Marco you come to Santa Maria delle Carceri, which
offers the visitor the possibility to see the Castello dell'Imperatore,
the only example of Swabian architecture in the north and central
part of Italy, and the Church with the same name which is an
architectural masterpiece of harmony and soberness, built in
1485 by Lorenzo de' Medici on the remains of a prison. |
Contemporay
art in Prato |
| Shopping
in Prato |
| The
surroundings of Prato |
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Continuing you get to the Chiesa
di San Francesco, a nice building from the late 13th century
with a green Prato marble façade and, not far away, Palazzo
Datini, a unique Late Gothic private house from the end of the
14th century where the merchant and banker Francesco Datini
lived. Piazza del Comune is a geometric and symbolic centre
of the antique urban Cities of Prato, enclosed by imposing hexagonal
walls. The square houses the Municipio (Municipality) which
preserves, in the Salone del Consiglio, a portrait collection
of benefactors and governors. Under the loggias of the Palazzo
Comunale you find the Museo del Tessuto, the only Italian museum
completely dedicated to the textile art and technology.
The imposing Palazzo Pretorio houses the Museo Civico
which features a vast collection of masterpieces from the 14th,
16th century and the Late Baroque.
Strolling along Via Manzoni you get to the Duomo of Prato, raised
on the old parish church of Santo Stefano. It is a marvellous
example of Romanesque-Gothic architecture with a bell tower
from the 13th century. The façade in white and green
marble from Prato, features in the interior a beautiful pulpit
by Donatello and Michelozzo, used for the display of the Sacra
Cintola (the Sacred Girdle) della Madonna, the most venerated
relic by the citizens of Prato.
The Sacra Cintola, a fine wool belt, could not been more appropriate
for Prato and is preserved in the Duomo in the chapel with the
same name. According to the legend Saint Thomas received the
Sacra Cintola from the Virgin at her Assumption. There are two
series of frescoes by Agnolo Gaddi and Bernardo Daddi illustrating
the legend in the Duomo.
The Palazzo Vescovile houses the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
where paintings, church ornaments and miniatures are shown.
From here you take Via Garibaldi with shops and bars. From Via
Convenevole you reach the Chiesa di San Domenico, a Gothic building
raised between the 13th and the 14th century with the convent
at its side which houses the Museo di Pittura Murale where you
can see sinopies, frescoes and graffiti. |
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