Prato

Prato
Comune
Comune di Prato
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Prato
Prato Location of Prato in Italy Show map of Italy Prato Prato (Tuscany) Show map of Tuscany
Coordinates: 43°52′48″N 11°05′54″E / 43.88000°N 11.09833°E / 43.88000; 11.09833
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Province	Prato (PO)
Frazioni	See list
Government
• Mayor	Ilaria Bugetti (PD)
Area [1]
• Total	97.35 km2 (37.59 sq mi)
Elevation	65 m (213 ft)
Population  (1 January 2023)[2]
• Total	195,213
• Density	2,000/km2 (5,200/sq mi)
Demonym	Pratese
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	59100
Dialing code	0574
ISTAT code	100005
Patron saint	St. Stephen
Saint day	26 December
Website	Official website

Prato (/ˈprɑːtoʊ/ PRAH-toh, Italian: [ˈpraːto] ^ⓘ) is a city and comune (municipality) in Tuscany, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Prato. The city lies in the northeast of Tuscany, at an elevation of 65 metres (213 ft), at the foot of Monte Retaia (the last peak in the Calvana chain). With 195,213 inhabitants as of 1 January 2023^[update],^[2] Prato is Tuscany's second largest city (after Florence) and the third largest in Central Italy (after Rome and Florence).

Historically, Prato's economy has been based on the textile industry and its district is the largest in Europe. The textile district of Prato is made up of about 7000 fashion companies, amounting to around 2 billion euros of city's export.^[3] The renowned Datini archives are a significant collection of late medieval documents concerning economic and trade history, produced between 1363 and 1410.^[4]

The city boasts important historical and artistic attractions, with a cultural span that started with the Etruscans and then expanded in the Middle Ages and reached its peak with the Renaissance, when artists such as Donatello, Filippo Lippi and Botticelli left their testimonies in the city. The famous cantucci, a type of biscotti invented in Prato during the Middle Ages, are still produced by local traditional bakers.