Frederick II's white castle and the city of cantucci
Prato grew rich in the Middle Ages with the wool trade, which made it one of the textile capitals of Europe, and its historic centre, inside hexagonal walls, keeps traces of that wealth. At its heart stands the Castello dell'Imperatore, built by Emperor Frederick II around 1240: a square fortress of white stone with powerful towers, unique in central and northern Italy and inspired by the Swabian castles of southern Italy.
From the walkways on its walls the view sweeps over the city and the cathedral, whose green and white façade has an unusual external pulpit by Donatello and Michelozzo, from which the Holy Girdle of the Virgin is shown to the crowd five times a year. Inside the cathedral are Filippo Lippi's frescoes, with the dance of Salome.
Tip: the original Biscottificio Antonio Mattei, in business since 1858, sells the cantucci, the almond biscuits known as "biscotti di Prato", in their famous blue paper bags.
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