Overview

Prato is a vibrant city with a large business community and a dynamic economy across a variety of sectors. This year’s (2016) Quality of Life index by Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore put Prato in first place for business, a figure calculated based on total employment, youth employment, number of companies and exports. The Tuscan city, just 25 minutes from Florence, also leads the way in Italy in terms of social integration and interculturalism, home to 116 ethnic groups according to the 15th Dossier Statistico Immigrazione by the Italian Research Centre for Immigration (IDOS). In addition, Prato is an active cultural hub with a penchant for the contemporary. Australian Monash University and US University of New Haven have both set up centres here, and the city boasts a large network of museums, theatres and culinary excellences. The Florentine, with ten years of international experience in Tuscany, has decided to embark on this new venture, convinced that every reason is a good one to #visitprato. The move comes after two successful editions of The Tuscan Times, a six-monthly supplement to The Florentine, in which expats and the region’s international community detail their real Tuscan lives in words and photos. Visit Prato was founded in 2011 by Luca Tempestini, who was aware of the importance of social media and the internet for territorial promotion. His vision was to attract foreign and Italian tourism to Prato through these channels, a vision that The Florentine continues. Director of The Florentine Marco Badiani, upon announcing his company’s decision to manage Visit Prato, commented, ‘Prato is an authentic city that offers a genuine experience to all those who are curious to discover a contemporary way of being Tuscan. After 10 years of experience publishing The Florentine and 2 seasons of The Tuscan Times, our media company is ready to expand and offer a genuine, deeper experience of Tuscany and its towns, starting with Prato.’ Stay tuned to Visit Prato’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels to learn more about news and events in this vibrant cultural city in Tuscany.