Curious Prato

The next city on the train towards Florence from Pistoia is Prato, which has a bigger population than Pistoia, but feels smaller.  We were in town for Palm Sunday.  There are a lot of activities at all the churches, but nothing like the zealot Spaniards we saw last year.  Other than that, every other person walking around appeared to be Chinese. 

It turns out Prato has one of the largest communities of Chinese in Italy.  Prato used to be the textile manufacturing center of Italy.   After the decline, the Chinese from Wenzhou, particularly hardworking and shrewd, have moved in.  We walked around the so-called Chinatown immediately to the west of historical center.  There are a few hundred businesses, small and big, serving the Chinese community that work in the textile factories.  Now I think the set of sheets I have at home that is labeled "Made in Florence" must be made in the Chinese sweatshops of Prato.

Ironically, Prato is home to "The Merchant of Prato"; the 1957 book by Iris Origo, an account of the life the medieval merchant Datini which she derived from some 150,000 pieces of correspondences.  I'm wondering if his rags to riches journey isn't being repeated by scores of Chinese business people....

Waiting for the train to Prato (in the direction of Florence); about a 10 minute journey.


The Prato Duomo is only a few hundred meters from the train station (for the historic center, get off at Prato Porta al Serraglio). It's a pleasant Palm Sunday morning. The next Mass is a 10:30.


The Duomo has an outside pulpit; a design not often seen and this one is very photogenic.






And a pretty neat pulpit inside.


And some old frescoes.


The altar.


A few meters farther is Town Hall Piazza with a statue of Datini.




And farther on the same course in Piazza San Francesco, a secondhand market.


Interior of the Church of San Francesco.




And from behind.


Some folks are making a very low budget video/film in front of the Duomo.


Inside the Duomo.


Duomo in the distance.


A procession!












The Medici Fortress.


Back streets in the historic center.


The Volunteer Ambulance Company was founded in 1899. They have a very cool headquarters with some Art Nouveau-ish frescoes on the outside and some antique equipment inside. We received an impromptu tour.




Leave the historic center through this gate and you are in Chinatown.


A plate of rice plus 3 dishes for 3 Euros - a good value.






Lots of old warehouses in Chinatown that are now busninesses.


Unexpectedly come across a shiny Citroën DS