Prato

This article is about the city in Italy. For other uses, see Prato (disambiguation).

Prato
Comune
Comune di Prato
Prato Cathedral
Flag Coat of arms
Prato Location of Prato in Italy Prato Prato (Tuscany)
Coordinates: 43°52′48″N 11°05′54″E
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Province	Prato (PO)
Frazioni	See list
Government
• Mayor	Matteo Biffoni (PD)
Area
• Total	97.35 km2 (37.59 sq mi)
Elevation	65 m (213 ft)
Population  (2026)
• Total	198,327
• Density	2,037/km2 (5,276/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

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Santa Maria delle Carceri church

Emperor's Castle

Piazza San Francesco

Statue of Francesco Datini in front of the Palazzo Pretorio

Pulpit of Donatello

Prato (/ˈprɑːtoʊ/ PRAH-toh; Italian: [ˈpraːto] ^ⓘ) is a city and comune (municipality) in the region of Tuscany in 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). The distance between Prato and Florence is approximately 15–17 kilometers (about 9–10 miles). With a population of 198,327 as of 2026, Prato is Tuscany's 2nd-largest city after Florence, and the 18th-largest in Italy.

Historically, Prato's economy has been based on the textile industry which has continued in recent years leading to it becoming Italy's fast fashion manufacturing hub. The city's textile district, the largest in Europe, is home to about 5000 fashion companies which are largely small, Chinese-run subcontractors engaging in illegal activity known as the "Prato system" run by Chinese organized crime. The left wing Partito Democratico (PD) has been implicated in the crimes with the PD mayor Ilaria Bugetti resigning after the opening of a corruption investigation against her in July 2025.

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 renowned Datini archives are a significant collection of late medieval documents concerning economic and trade history, produced between 1363 and 1410.

Cantucci, a type of biscotti invented in Prato during the Middle Ages, are still produced by local traditional bakers.