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The long thread of history
Situated in the heart of Tuscany, Prato
is the ideal starting point for the region's other famous cities
of art. On the doorstep of Florence, just 10 km from "Vespucci" airport,
and halfway between Rome and Milan, Prato boasts a strategic
position for business trips as well as holidays.
The capital
city of a province composed of seven municipalities, Prato
is known for its wool textile manufacture, existing
since medieval times and playing an important role in the economic
and social growth of the entire district and which now, with
its modern factories, has been moved to the industrial areas.
The present, therefore, has its roots in a past steeped in
industry and creativity, qualities which have made the people
of Prato an example for the manufacturing industry right throughout
the whole of Europe.
Yet until the discovery of one of Tuscany's
largest Etruscan settlements in the
area of Gonfienti in 1997, it was thought that the history
of the city was relatively recent, beginning in the Middle
Ages - around the X century - with the two adjacent villages
of Borgo al Cornio and Castrum Prati.
The two nuclei merged
the following century and thus began the growth of Prato, which
in the XIII century reached 15 thousand inhabitants thanks
to the birth of manufacturing activities that required both
labour as well as the construction of new buildings.
Wool textile
manufacture made Prato into a renowned centre and over the
centuries the city was contended by and a target of the expansion
plans of nearby Florence.
The dawn of the
industrial age made Prato into the "Manchester
of Tuscany", one of the most active cities and a major source
of employment also for immigrants and people from the surrounding
towns, with a high level of textile specialisation and a marked
orientation towards exports.
This led to a population boom
which, from 1951 on, has never stopped, rising from the 78,000
inhabitants of the mid twentieth century to its present day
figure of 185,000.
In 1992, after a long wait, Prato became
a province in its own right, obtaining administrative independence
from Florence. The area covering Florence, Prato and Pistoia
stands as one of the largest urban areas in Italy.
One of the symbols of the city
The Castello dell’Imperatore, or Emperor’s
Castle, situated in the heart of the old city, is undoubtedly
one of the most important historical symbols of the city.
Erected on the order of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia, the
castle was built to put the main routes linking the south
of the country with Germany under military control, in particular
the road leading from Montepiano pass through the Bisenzio
valley to the heart of Tuscany.
The area
Region: Tuscany
Province: Prato
Altitude: 74 m.a.s.l.
Surface area: 97,59 km2
Population: 185.295
Density: 1.902,25 ab./km2
Municipalities: Cantagallo, Prato, Montemurlo,
Carmignano, Vaiano, Poggio a Caiano, Vernio, Cantagallo.
Ufficio Relazioni Esterne:
Per informazioni:
Tel. 0574/612.715
Fax 0574/ 612733
Indirizzo: Via Valentini, 14 - 6 ° piano
E-mail: relazioni.esterne@po.camcom.it |
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