Bistecca alla Fiorentina T-bone cut of Chianina beef, grilled rare over embers
A T-bone cut from Chianina beef, grilled rare over embers with no seasoning at all: Florence's signature dish.
Read more →
© This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author and send me a message. This image is not in the public domain. Please respect the copyright protection. It may only be used according to the rules mentioned here. This specifically excludes use in social media, if applicable terms of the licenses listed here not appropriate. Pl · CC BY-SA 3.0edited by BigItalia · Request removal
Prato has only been a province since 1992, when it was carved out of the province of Florence, and the seams still show. It holds seven municipalities: Prato, Carmignano, Poggio a Caiano, Montemurlo, Vaiano, Vernio and Cantagallo. That makes it the second smallest province in Italy by both land area and number of towns, and the smallest in Tuscany. Three residents in four live in the city of Prato itself, and the borders run up against Pistoia, Florence and Bologna.
Most visits start in Prato, which holds the people and the work and makes no attempt to look like a postcard. The rest fits into a single day: Carmignano and Poggio a Caiano on one side, Montemurlo, second largest and still a tenth the size of the capital, then Vaiano, Vernio and Cantagallo, each under ten thousand residents, where the scale of the place changes completely.
Towns in the province of Prato
Map and list are connected: hover one to light up the other, click to enter.
The top 8 places in Prato
Our editors' ranking: the area's most important places, drawn from the individual town guides. See the national rankings →
1 ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries basilica dei Santi Vincenzo e Caterina de' Ricci 📍 Prato Basilica of Saints Vincent and Catherine de' Ricci in Prato, rebuilt in 1732-1735 around the saint's tomb. 
2 ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries basilica di Santa Maria delle Carceri 📍 Prato Basilica of Santa Maria delle Carceri in Prato, an early Renaissance masterpiece born from a 1484 apparition. 
3 🖼️ Museums Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci 📍 Prato Centro Pecci in Prato, a contemporary art museum opened in 1988 and expanded in 2016 by Maurice Nio. Prato and around, on the map
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
🍝 At the table: Tuscany
Panforte di Siena sweet of almonds, candied fruit, honey and spices pressed into a disc
Almonds, candied fruit, flour, honey and spices pressed into a low disc: Siena's panforte has a recipe documented since 1205.
Read more →✨ Tuscany by theme
🏘️ Villages 10 🏖️ Seaside 7 🏛️ UNESCO heritage 7 🍷 Food & wine 4 ♨️ Spa towns 3 🏝️ Islands 1
Tours, tickets and experiences
Bookable on GetYourGuideProvince of Prato
Upcoming events in Prato
No events match these filters.
Saint Leonard of Noblac, patron of the Museum of Textile Machines
📅 Every year, on 6 November
Vernio celebrates Saint Leonard of Noblac on 6 November.
Saint Matthias the Apostle, patron of the Medici villa
📅 Every year, on 15 November; the town became independent on 14 July 1962
Poggio a Caiano celebrates Saint Matthias the Apostle on 15 November. The town became independent on 14 July 1962. Sculptures from Livorno and Florence, including works linked to Michelangelo's New Sacristy, were also moved to the Medici villa complex.
Saint Stephen and the Holy Girdle
📅 Every year, on 26 December
The patron of Prato is Saint Stephen, on 26 December, and the day before, from Donatello's pulpit, the city's dearest relic is shown: the Holy Girdle.
The Exaltation of the Cross, patron of the Prato municipality of Montemurlo
📅 Every year, on 3 May
Montemurlo celebrates the Exaltation of the Cross on 3 May.