New Year's Eve Prato

Prato is one of the most active city in Tuscany, both at the economic and industrial level, and it is also very nice to visit, especially for the New Year thanks to its mild climate.
And it is not a case if, during the years, Prato has always been the target of a strong immigration, in the years around 1960/70 from the south Italy, while in the 1980s it began a massive immigration from China, which has given to Prato the primacy of the city with the widest Chinese population in Europe.
Today Prato is one of the main Italian centres for what regards the textile industry.
However, Prato has ancient origins, which have their roots in the prehistory and then, it went under the Etruscan and Roman domain, and still became united under the Angiolini and the Guazzalotti reign and, finally, under the Spanish.
Many are the old and the new traditions of this city: in summer you can partecipate at the Hills Festival, or to the Donkeys Palio of Carmignano, or to the characteristics festivals such as the Polentina of Vernio and the Carnevalino of St. Ippolito.

Let's begin our visit of the city from the Duomo (cathedral), situated in the Duomo square, at the end of the famous Mazzoli course.
This splendid building in Romanesque and Gothic style is characterized from the Pulpit by Donatello, built in 1300 for the Ostensione of the Sacred Cintola of the Madonna.
Then we can also visit the Opera del Duomo Museum, situated within the Episcopal Palace, adjacent to the cathedral.
We can continue the visit of the city along the walls that surround it, dating back to 1300, along which you can admire the ancient doors and bastions of 1500: the Old Town centre of the city can be considered as the Town square, dating back to 1200.
In the main square we can admire the Municipal square, 1300, which hosts the Fabric Museum; and the Pretorio Palace, renovated in 1300: inside it, we can visit the museum.
To not miss is the visit the Emperor castle, situated in the beautiful Santa Maria delle Carceri square: it is the only building that follows the Sveva art standard in Italy.
In the square we can admire the wonderful Santa Maria delle Carceri basilica, built by the wish of Lorenzo the Magnificent in the period among the 1485 and the 1492.
Finally, we can visit the modern San Marco square, where we can admire the famous "Squared Shape with cutting", a contemporary sculpture of the famous Henry Moore.