Explorations of a small Tuscan city not far from Florence.
Prato is a small Tuscan city just northwest of Florence, Italy. Compared to its more famous neighbor, Prato is a very chill city and is a very easy day trip.
I stayed in Florence for a few days. I also used Florence as a jumping off point to visit two local cities and not the normal cities people visit while staying in Florence. Most people visit Pisa or Siena, but most people haven’t been to Florence five times, Pisa three times, and Siena twice. My focus for this fifth trip to Italy is see something new everyday. Since I only found a couple of things new in Florence I hadn’t seen, Prato was a great morning trip to take. (That is also why I’m not writing any new posts on Florence.)
Jana Irving Castle! A great start to Prato.
Jana Irving Castello dell’Imperatore from the 13th century. It wasn’t open yet when I first walked by. Since it was free to enter, I had to come back.
Jana Irving There isn’t much inside but they do let you walk around the top, which was cool.
Jana Irving Some nice views.
Jana Irving Very impressive.
Jana Irving It’s not a medieval Tuscan city without at least one tower house.
Jana Irving Or two.
Jana Irving It’s a cute little city.
Jana Irving But its main draw is its amazing cathedral, Cattedrale di Santo Stefano. (Came back to the cathedral again to get some better pictures of the exterior.)
Jana Irving The replica outdoor pulpit originally created by Renaissance architect Michelozzo and decorated by Donatello.
Jana Irving The original pulpit was moved inside for its preservation in the 1960s.
Jana Irving The cathedral also has this amazing side door.
Jana Irving Looks like a Tuscan church to me.
Jana Irving One of the chapels is elaborately decorated with frescoes.
Jana Irving The gate made it difficult to get some photos of the frescoes.
Jana Irving Front of the church.
Jana Irving If you pay for the museum, you can go and get a up close view of the sanctuary.
Jana Irving Oops, someone lost their head.
Jana Irving The cathedral museum also had some interesting frescoes.
Jana Irving The museum is in a crypt under the sanctuary of the cathedral.
Jana Irving What’s left of the cloister.
Jana Irving Back outside in the Piazza del Duomo.
Jana Irving Palazzo Pretorio di Prato (Praetorian Palace), the old city hall.
Jana Irving Adorable.
Jana Irving Back at the castle.
Jana Irving And its next door neighbor, Santa Maria delle Carceri.
Prato is a cute little city a short train ride from central Florence. I came for the cathedral, but I enjoyed much of the town. Prato also has several museums that I didn’t visit, so plenty to do here for a day.
Check out my next update where I visit Pistoia, another city not far from Florence!
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Start at the beginning of this adventure.
