Prato has spun and woven for eight centuries: its textile district is among Europe's most important, and the Textile Museum tells the saga. The surprise is that this working city is also an art city: the cathedral carries an outdoor pulpit designed by Donatello and Michelozzo for displaying the Sacred Girdle to the crowds, plus a Filippo Lippi fresco cycle inside; the Pecci Centre was Italy's first purpose-built museum of contemporary art.
Prato now hosts one of Europe's largest Chinese communities, and its food scene has doubled accordingly. The almond cantucci dipped in vin santo, though, remain the compulsory finale.
Near Prato
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
