tuscany luxury villas - Holiday Villa 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!

TUSCANY VILLAS: YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Tuscany is justly famous for its wine, food, warm and hospitable people, and dazzling natural beauty. However, in our opinion, Tuscany should also be celebrated for its beautiful villas, because the Tuscan countryside is dotted with some of the most superb villas dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries, and almost all of them are perfectly preserved, so that they can still be inhabited with ease. And guess what? We would like to invite you to stay in one of Tuscany's independent villas, which we have carefully selected for the discerning tourist. We can guarantee you every home comfort that you can ask for, in the luxurious and elegant atmosphere of these beautiful villas.

Without exception, the independent villas of Tuscany that we have chosen for you are located amidst some wonderful natural scenery. Take the Villa Ginestra, situated near the top of a hill in the Tuscan countryside, delighting guests with a magnificent view of the city of Florence. Also within view is the tiny village of Cercina. On a nearby hilltop, you can see the ruins of a great house that once belonged to a medieval bishop. The scenery is, in a word, magnificent. At Villa Ginestra, you will enjoy the best Italy has to offer – the timeless beauty of Tuscany’s rural countryside, and quick and easy access to Florence.

An orchard of half-century-old olive trees surrounds Villa Ginestra, providing visitors with a crown of green and silver. To the west is the still deeper green of a forested mountain, webbed with well-marked trails for the adventurous hiker. To the east is a superb view of the medieval town of Fiesole.

And that is just one example of what we can offer you. There are numerous independent villas in Tuscany that find place on our list, spread all across this beautiful region of Italy. Can you actually imagine staying in a place called the Villa Buonaparte? Well, we have it on our list too, and it is situated on San Miniato’s hills, about five km from San Miniato. It is a 16th-century building, carefully renovated and maintained to remind you of the charms of medieval Italy.

As we keep saying, these are mere samples. For a detailed list of independent villas in Tuscany, come to us and we’ll take you on a free and infinitely rewarding tour!

Discover more:  

• apartment rental farmhouse tuscany
• bed and breakfast of charme prato
• farmhouse holidays tuscany
• luxury hotels tuscany
• tuscany luxury villas
• cheap villas in tuscany
• apartment rental farmhouse tuscany