Prato has etruscan roots but assumed an important political role only in the Middle Ages when it was involved in the struggle between the papacy and the Empire of which remains the architectural testimony of the castle, built at the behest of the emperor Frederick II of Swabia. In the same period Prato also developed as a textile production center with far-sighted entrepreneurs such as Francesco Datini, the famous merchant of Prato. The city then had its cultural and artistic peak in the fifteenth century, as evidenced by works by Filippo Lippi, Donatello, Botticelli and other Tuscan masters.

Our guided tour of Prato includes a walking tour through the streets of the historic center, starting from the imposing Castle of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia, one of the rare examples of Swabian architecture in central Italy. A few steps away is one of the masterpieces of Renaissance architecture, the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Carceri, a skilful work by Giuliano da Sangallo. We then proceed through the ancient streets of the center, where many well-preserved tower-houses emerge, and we reach the Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral of Santo Stefano, with its precious frescoes by Filippo Lippi and the façade with the peculiar angular pulpit , the work of Donatello and Michelozzo. Finally, the route touches the Piazza del Comune, the political and commercial center of Prato, where the ancient palaces of medieval institutions are still to be found today.

Average duration: 2.0 hours

Price: 160.00 € up to 25 people + 2,00 € for any further person in the group

Entrance fee: Cathedral: 3,00 € p.p