apartment rental farmhouse tuscany - Apartment in Prato, Italy

PRATO: THE HEART OF CENTRAL ITALY
Roberto Benigni, Christian Vieiri, Paolo Rossi, Filippino Lippi, and Lorenzo Bartolini. Are we rambling? No, because this is not a random string of names of famous Italians, but a list of some of the eminent citizens of Prato. With close to 200,000 inhabitants, Prato is Tuscany’s second largest city and the third largest in Central Italy, after Rome and Florence. Historically, Prato’s economy has depended on the textile industry, and the modern Textile Museum reflects this history. Today, Prato is also a cosmopolitan and fast growing tourist destination, located just 13 km from Florence.

Since the late 1950s, the city has seen a wave of immigrants, first from southern Italy, then other nations. Since the late 1980s in particular, Prato has been home to a significant Chinese community. Prato is also a centre of the Slow Food movement, with many specialties, including cantucci, a type of biscotti, sold by local bakers. Incidentally, for those not in the know, the Slow Food movement was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy to resist the fast food invasion and attempts to preserve the cultural cuisine and associated plants and seeds, domestic animals, and farming within a region.

So you know that when you come to Prato, you will sample all the local culinary delights that the city can offer at its various restaurants, hotels, farmhouses, and bed and breakfasts. Besides, Prato is also home to numerous museums and cultural monuments, including the Filippo Lippi frescoes in the Cathedral of Santo Stefano, which also has an external pulpit by Donatello. Yet another major attraction is the Centro per l’arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, a museum and education centre concerned with contemporary arts.

Then there is the Palazzo Pretorio, built around the 13th century in red brick. Also notable is the Palazzo Datini, built in the 14th century for the merchant Francesco Datini. The palace has decorations by famous Florentine artists and, in 1409, housed Pope Alexander V and Louis of Anjou. The Palazzo degli Alberti (12th century) is home to an art gallery with works by Filippo Lippi (Prato Madonna), Giovanni Bellini (Crucifix with Jew Cemetery) and Caravaggio (The Crowning with Thorns).

There are several other fascinating churches and palaces that you should see and which we cannot name here owing to lack of space, but do plan ahead for your visit by selecting your accommodation in Prato from our list (www.yourwaytotuscany.com/Prato.htm) of hotels, vacation farmhouses, apartments, bed & breakfasts, and residences in the city and province of Prato. We guarantee you an unforgettable trip!

HOW TO FIND THE BEST TUSCANY APARTMENT RENTALS

Tuscany is one of the finest regions of Italy, famed for its beautiful cities, gorgeous countryside, magnificent old palaces and churches, hospitable locals, excellent cuisine, and outstanding wines. The region receives hundreds of thousands of domestic and international tourists every year, and tourism is one of its largest industries. And while you, as a tourist, will find plenty to admire as you travel around the Tuscan countryside, what can you do to ensure that you stay at the best accommodations your money can buy? We have the answer, so come to us and we’ll show you the best Tuscany apartments to rent.

Imagine staying at the Casa Matilde – three wonderful rural apartments close to the village of Mercatale in the famous Chianti area (yes, the one with the world’s best wines). Casa Matilde is actually a rural house that dates back to 1200 AD, divided into three apartments, and furnished with impeccable taste. So on the one hand, while you can enjoy the charm of a medieval cottage, you will also have the benefit of a garden with barbecue, a furnished terrace, and a swimming pool.

Or take the Via di Mezzo Apartments near a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the historic centre of Florence. Located on the second floor of an 18th century building, the 120 sq. m apartment stands on a pleasant street in the heart of town, 150 yards from the Duomo, and 30 yards from the church of Sant’Ambrogio.

These are merely two of the many Tuscany rental apartments that you can access through us, at rates that are extremely reasonable. Besides, we offer you ultimate value for money because the apartments that we recommend are uniformly high quality, and tailor-made to suit all your requirements. We enable you to make direct contact with the owners of these apartments, and you will be able to check out each and every one of them before you decide on the Tuscany apartment that you wish to rent.

The apartments that we have selected are spread across a wide section of Tuscany, from Florence to Chianti near Florence to Siena to Pisa. So wherever you go, you can be sure that you will find the very best Tuscany rental apartments, yours for the duration of your visit. Not only will you have a pleasant stay in the choicest apartments in Tuscany, but we can also guarantee that once you have stayed in these apartments, you will want to stay nowhere else once you return to this beautiful land! For details, check out our comprehensive list of Tuscany apartments.

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