Prato is (by) the end of the world

Stefano Da Rui

Stories by the “Creative Curious Travellers 2016” about the city of Prato. Thanks to: Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci | Camera di Commercio di Prato | USE-IT Prato | LeCù | Fonderia Cultart | Biscottificio Antonio Mattei | Cibino Take Away | Gelateria Fior di Sole | Apothéke Cocktail Bar | Dolci Amari | Caffè Vergnano | Camaloon | The GIRA.


FULL ARTICLE IN ENGLISH COMING SOON… 

Whenever I’m about to go for a trip, I tend to ask for suggestions and tips about the destination I’m going to visit; in the mean time I try not to follow those tips too much, as behind them usually lie stereotypes and prejudices. When asked about Prato, most of my friends replied: “What the heck are you going to do in Prato? There’s not much to do and it’s full of Chinese people.” (Thanks, friends…)

So, towards the end of November, 2016, I left with my luggage full of the most disparate stuff, as the weather was totally unpredictable, while carrying with me, figuratively, a huge question mark. What was waiting for me in Prato? I knew for sure that there was going to be Lorenzo, who stands and supports me in almost every trip, and Elena, who made us feel at home from the very first moment.


PRATO is basically a very versatile city, where the relaxed atmosphere of the city centre is in perfect harmony with the nature all around, and moreover with the city’s cultural excitement. The noisy atmosphere of the not-so-far Florence is countered by the tranquil placidity of Prato, here’s why most of locals tend to go to the county seat for late-night parties.

Our first day in the city started with a visit to Lorenzo’s favourite place, the library. Being a real cultural centre, the Biblioteca Lazzerini struck us for its huge, renovated space, but mainly for the presence of various, amazing works of art, like a massive mural by Barbara Kruger, which recalls the city’s textile history

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and a work by Hossein Golba, Cultura Colonna Vertebrale della Vita (Culture Spinal Column of Life), a pillar made out of books and concrete, a monument to the importance of reading.

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Last but not least, in the library we experimented a peculiar form of poetry made out of book’s titles, so called dorsal poetry. After some research, this is the result: Prato / beyond every wall / another Tuscany / grape harvest and love.

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