Prato

Sister cities

• Changzhou
• Wenzhou
• Roubaix
• Nam Định
• Sarajevo
• Harare
• Ebensee am Traunsee
• Bir Lehlou
• Albemarle County
• Wangen im Allgäu
• Tomaszów Mazowiecki

History

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. 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. 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. 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…

Most-observed species

• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,399
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  3,090
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,807
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,600
• Italian Sparrow

  Passer italiae (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  2,571
• Little Egret/Western Reef-Heron

  Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,290
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,923
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,870

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2026-03-26
  6 km NNW of Montale, Italy
• M 4.1 — 2026-03-25
  1 km S of Santo Stefano di Magra, Italy
• M 2.5 — 2025-03-04
  2 km NNW of Carrara, Italy
• M 3.7 — 2024-02-17
  5 km SSE of Modigliana, Italy
• M 5.1 — 2023-09-18
  7 km SE of Marradi, Italy
• M 4.2 — 2023-09-18
  4 km ESE of Marradi, Italy