Prato is a city in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato.

Since the late 1950s, the city has been a target of a great immigration, first from southern Italy, then other nationalities.
Since the late 1980s a large Chinese community has settled in the city. With more than 180,000 inhabitants, Prato is Tuscany’s
second largest city and the third largest in Central Italy, after Rome and Florence.

Prato is home to many museums and other cultural monuments, including the Filippo Lippi frescoes in the Cathedral of Santo Stefano, currentlyunder 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. Also notable is the Palazzo Datini, built from 1383 for the merchant Francesco Datini. It has decorations by Florentine artists like Agnolo Gaddi and Niccolò Gerini.