Prato ( ; ) is a city and comune (municipality) in the region of Tuscany in Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Prato. The city lies in the northeast of Tuscany, at an elevation of , at the foot of Monte Retaia (the last peak in the Calvana chain). The distance between Prato and Florence is approximately 15–17 kilometers (about 9–10 miles). With a population of 198,327 as of 2026, Prato is Tuscany's 2nd-largest city after Florence, and the 18th-largest in Italy.
Historically, Prato's economy has been based on the textile industry which has continued in recent years leading to it becoming Italy's fast fashion manufacturing hub. The city's textile district, the largest in Europe, is home to about 5000 fashion companies which are largely small, Chinese-run subcontractors engaging in illegal activity known as the "Prato system" run by Chinese organized crime. The left wing Partito Democratico (PD) has been implicated in the crimes with the PD mayor Ilaria Bugetti resigning after the opening of a corruption investigation against her in July 2025.
The city boasts important historical and artistic attractions, with a cultural span that started with the Etruscans and then expanded in the Middle Ages and reached its peak with the Renaissance, when artists such as Donatello, Filippo Lippi and Botticelli left their testimonies in the city. The renowned Datini archives are a significant collection of late medieval documents concerning economic and trade history, produced between 1363 and 1410.
Cantucci, a type of biscotti invented in Prato during the Middle Ages, are still produced by local traditional bakers.
History
Ancient times
Archaeological findings have proved that Prato's surrounding hills were inhabited since Paleolithic times. The plain was later colonized by the Etruscans. In 1997, remains of a previously unknown city from that civilization were discovered in the neighbourhood of Gonfienti near Campi Bisenzio. It was of medium size and it was already a centre for the wool and textile industry. According to some scholars, it could be the mythical Camars. The Etruscan city was inhabited until the 5th century BC, when, for undisclosed reasons, it decayed; control of the area later shifted to the Romans, who routed the Via Cassia through it but did not build any settlements.
Middle Ages
In the early Middle Ages, the Byzantine and Lombard dominations prevailed in the region.
The history of Prato itself begins from the 10th century, when two distinct villages, Borgo al Cornio and Castrum Prati (Prato's Castle), are known. In the following century the two settlements were united under the lords of the castle, the Alberti family, who received the imperial title of Counts of Prato. In the same period the plain was drained and a hydraulic system regulating and exploiting the waters of the Bisenzio River was created to feed the gualchiere (pre-industrial textile machines).
After a siege in 1107 by the troops of Matilde of Canossa, the Alberti retreated to their family fortresses in the Bisenzio Valley: Prato could therefore develop as a free commune. Within two centuries it reached 15,000 inhabitants, spurred in by the flourishing textile industry and by the presence of the Holy Belt relic. Two new lines of walls had to be built in the mid-12th century, and in the early 14th century.
In 1313, in order to counter the expansionism of the Republic of Florence, Prato submitted voluntarily under the seigniory of Robert of Anjou, King of Naples. However, on 23 February 1351 Joanna I of Naples sold the city to the Republic of Florence in exchange for 17,500 golden florins.
Prato's history therefore followed that of Florence in the following centuries.
Modern age In 1512, during the War of the Holy League, the city was sacked by Spanish troops assembled by Pope Julius II and the king of Aragón, Ferdinand II, to recover the nearby city of Florence for the Medici family. The severity of the sack of Prato led to the surrender of the Florentine Republic, and to the restoration of the Medici rule. Historians debate the actual number of people killed during the sack, but contemporary chroniclers asserted between 2000 and 6000 people were slaughtered in the streets. Following the 1512 fall of Prato, the ambassador from the Duchy of Ferrara documented the scene, reporting that Spanish forces executed an unprecedented massacre, leaving churches and homes filled with corpses.
In 1653, Prato obtained the status of city and became seat of a Catholic diocese. During the 18th century, with the ascent of Lorraine at the head of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the city was embellished and also experienced a significant cultural development, which was promoted by the grand dukes themselves.
The intellectual foresight of Prato and its land in this century finds its maximum expression in the words of Filippo Mazzei, a friend of Thomas Jefferson, which today are reported in the second paragraph of the American Declaration of Independence: All men are created equal.
After the unification of Italy in the 19th century, Prato became a primary industrial centre, especially in the textile sector (Italian historian Emanuele Repetti described it as the "Italian Manchester"), and its population grew up to 50,000 in 1901 and to 180,000 in 2001. The town experienced significant internal immigration. Previously part of the province of Florence, in 1992 Prato became the capital of the eponymous province.
Climate Prato has a humid subtropical climate which has sunny hot summers and cool damp winters. July is the driest month of the year.
Demographics As of 2026, the population is 198,327, of which 49.5% are male, and 50.5% are female. Minors make up 14.6% of the population, and seniors make up 22.7%.
Immigration As of 2025, immigrants make up 24.3% of the total population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are China, Albania, Pakistan, Romania, and Morocco. Chinese immigration
The city of Prato has the second largest Chinese immigrant population in Italy (after Milan with Italy's largest Chinatown). The number of legal Chinese residents in Prato on 31 December 2008 was 9,927; the number rose to 27,829 on 31 December 2021. Local authorities estimate the overall number of Chinese citizens living in Prato to be as high as 50,000, illegal immigrants included, although such number may be inflated for political reasons. Most overseas Chinese come from the city of Wenzhou in the province of Zhejiang, some of them having moved from Chinatown in Paris. The first Chinese people came to Prato in the early 1990s. The majority of Chinese work in 3,500 workshops in the garment industry and ready-to-wear. Chinatown, known as Santo Beijing,"View from Italy: The People's Republic of Prato" article by Anna Blundy in Prospect Magazine 14 March 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2018 is located in the west part of the city, spreading to Porta Pistoiese in the historical centre. The local Chamber of Commerce registered over 3,100 Chinese businesses by September 2008. Most of them are located in an industrial park named Macrolotto di Iolo. Raids on factories employing illegal immigrants in 2010 highlighted problems with the growth of an apparel industry in Prato based on cheap, and sometimes illegal, labor."Chinese Remake the ‘Made in Italy’ Fashion Label" article by Rachel Donadio in The New York Times 12 September 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010 In spite of these claims, the local unemployment rate was around 7% in 2013, which was significantly lower than the national average of 11%, even after 4,000 enterprises which had employed 20,000 people were closed in the previous two decades. The president of the Industrial Association of Prato, Andrea Cavicchi, pointed out that the local economic performance was much better than the rest of Italy due to the Chinese textile firms.The Rupp Report: Chinese "Made In Italy" article by Jürg Rupp in "Textile World", 10 December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2014 The Chinese community was represented in local institutions after 2019 elections, when two city councillors of Chinese origins were elected.
Dialect The dialect from Prato is very similar to that of Florence, but it has its own peculiarities. The pronunciation of the city name in the dialect was traditionally but now or are more common.
Government
Administrative subdivisions The municipal territory is divided into five administrative districts: North, East, South, West and Centre.:Le circoscrizioni amministrative del comune di Prato
Circoscrizione North: Cavagliano, Cerreto, Chiesanuova, Coiano, Figline di Prato, Galcetello, Galceti, Gli Abatoni, I Bifolchi, I Ciliani, La Torricella, Le Fornaci, Le Lastre, Le Sacca, San Martino, Santa Lucia, Villa Fiorita Circoscrizione Sud: Cafaggio, Casale, Castelnuovo, Campostino, Fontanelle, Grignano, Il Ferro, Prato, Le Badie, Le Caserane, Le Colombaie, Le Fonti, Paperino, Ponte alle Vanne, Ponte a Tigliano, Popolino, Purgatorio, San Giorgio a Colonica, San Giusto, Sant'Andrea, Santa Maria a Colonica, Tavola, Tobbiana Circoscrizione Est: Canneto, Carteano, Cavagliano, Filettole, Gonfienti, I Lecci, Il Cantiere, Il Palco, La Castellina, La Macine, La Pietà, La Querce, Mezzana, Pizzidimonte, Sacra Famiglia, Santa Cristina a Pimonte, Santa Gonda, Tontoli Circoscrizione Ovest: Borgonuovo, Capezzana, Galciana, Il Calice, Il Guado, La Dogaia, Le Pantanelle, Maliseti, Mazzone, Narnali, San Paolo, Sant'Ippolito, Vergaio, Viaccia Circoscrizione Centro: Centro Direzionale, Il Pino, Soccorso, Reggiana - Gescal
Culture
Corteggio Storico On 8 September each year, to pay homage to the Sacra Cintola, on the day of the birth of the Madonna, there is the Corteggio Storico. The costume parade takes place along the streets of the center, in which the armies of the city, the Corpo dei Valletti Comunali and other hundreds of people from different cities of Italy take part. The procession ends in Piazza del Duomo, where there is the most solemn event of the day: the exposition of the relic of the Holy Girdle.
The program of the festival is enriched by various performances that are held throughout the day in various points of the historic center, such as, for example, the performance of flag-wavers, shooting with bows, the medieval market with re-enactments of ancient crafts and traditions, musical performances, fireworks.
Chinese New Year The local Chinese associations in Prato organize the New Year's celebrations that follow the Lunar calendar. The last day of festivities have a parade with several puppets of dragons and lions, manipulated by experienced dancers and martial artists who perform the traditional Dragon dance.
Palla Grossa The Game of Palla Grossa is back to be played in Prato Piazza Mercatale in September 2012, after almost thirty years of absence. Four districts compete: the Rossi (Santa Trinita), the Gialli (Santo Stefano), the Azzurri (Santa Maria) and the Verdi (San Marco).
Contemporary festival The contemporanea festival is an international theater festival that takes place in Prato since 1999. The event takes place at the end of May and presents important artists of the national and international contemporary theater scene.
Typical cuisine
The typical Pratese cuisine, as in general that of the whole Tuscany, uses "poor" products and ingredients, mainly from the territory. The bread, called bozza pratese, is definitely the basic element of the kitchen. In Prato, as in Florence it is customary to use bread to prepare croutons with the livers, panzanella and pappa al pomodoro.
Piatti tipici Cantucci Bruttiboni Sedani ripieni alla pratese Mortadella di Prato Ribollita Torta mantovana Pesche di Prato Vermouth di Prato Zuccherini Bozza pratese
Music collections
Sights