The Province of Prato departs from the silent woodlands of the Bisenzio Valley, on the border between Toscana and Emilia Romagna, down to a densely populated plane surrounded by the Montalbano gentle hills. Created in 1992, it is composed of seven municipalities, each one with a story of its own.

Places to See

Prato is home to many museums and other cultural monuments, including the following:

• Filippo Lippi frescoes in the Cathedral of Santo Stefano, currently under restoration. The Cathedral has an external pulpit by Donatello.

• Palazzo Pretorio was built from the 13th century in red bricks. The part in white stone is from late-Gothic era. In the 16th century an external staircase and a watch were added.
• Centro per l’arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci a museum and education centre concerned with contemporary arts.
• Monash University Centre. The Centre is now the largest Australian academic institution of its kind in Europe, providing a strong link between Australian scholars, students, and their European counterparts, as well as providing English-language training. The centre hosts many international conferences in its heritage-listed building.
• Centro Di Scienze Naturali. Galceti Natural Sciences Centre belongs to the municipality of Prato and includes a Museum of Natural Science and a reserve Park…
• Galleria Degli Alberti. Open from 1983, the gallery is located inside the historical Alberti Palace…
• MUSEO ALL’APERTO DI ARTE CONTEMPORANEA. Open-air museum exhibits works of art expecially made for the village of Luicciana by several Italian and foreign artists…
• MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO ETRUSCO. The Etruscan Archeological Museum, located temporarily on the ground floor of the Medici Villa “La Ferdinanda”, is rich in several finds discovered in the nearby archeological areas.
• MUSEO DEL TESSUTO. The Museum preserves a wealth of textile materials of extreme interest due to the quality and variety of the collections.
• MUSEO DELL’OPERA DEL DUOMO. Situated between the Bishop’s Palace and the Cathedral. It houses works of art from the Cathedral, including holy silverware and relics, and works from other churches.
• MUSEO DELLA PIEVE DI SAN PIETRO APOSTOLO. Small but interesting museum annexed to the parish church of S. Pietro Apostolo. It contains church ornaments, decorated vases and moulds coming from a Figline’s furnace.
• MUSEO DI PITTURA MURALE. Situated on the first floor of the Monastery of S. Domenico and was founded in 1974 to gather several detached frescoes, sinopias and graffiti.
• MUSEO E CHIOSTRO DELLA BADIA. Small local museum which houses not only the furniture, silverware and relics belonging to the Abbey, but also to other churches of the neighbourhood.
• MUSEO- LABORATORIO DIDATTICO DI TERRIGOLI. Workshop-museum, which has been located in a modern building, together with the seat of the “Centre for the Documentation of the Bisenzio Valley’s ethnographic-history”.
• PARCO-MUSEO DI SCULTURA QUINTO MARTINI. Quinto Martini Park-Museum is situated in the village of Seano, among the beautiful hills in the Carmignano area of the Montalbano.