Museo di Palazzo Pretorio

Northwestern Tuscany


This impressive bulk of a history museum opened in 2013 as one of Tuscany's smartest museums after a record 20-year renovation job. An entire room is devoted to Pistoia's sacra cintola, a deeply venerated girdle believed to have been given to St Thomas by the Virgin and brought to Prato from Jerusalem after the Second Crusade.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Northwestern Tuscany attractions

1. Cattedrale di Santo Stefano

0.11 MILES

Prato's 12th-century cathedral safeguards magnificent frescoes by Filippo Lippi behind the altar and Agnolo's beautiful fresco cycle of the Legend of the…

2. Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

0.11 MILES

At the foot of the cathedral bell tower is the entrance to this serene cloister museum safeguarding ecclesiastical treasures bestowed upon the cathedral…

3. Museo del Tessuto

0.26 MILES

Prato's textile museum, in the town's former Campolmi textile mill, explores the history and use of textiles through the ages.

4. Centro Per l'Arte Contemporanea Pecci

1.45 MILES

The striking work of Holland-based, Indonesian architect Maurice Nio at Prato's contemporary-art museum lures art lovers into its lair with a dazzling…

5. Fattoria di Celle

7.05 MILES

A teahouse, an aviary and other romantic 19th-century follies mingle with cutting-edge sculptures and art installations created by top contemporary…

6. Cattedrale di San Zeno

9.64 MILES

This cathedral with beautiful Pisan-Romanesque facade safeguards a lunette of the Madonna and Child between two angels by Andrea della Robbia. Its other…

7. Museo Civico

9.64 MILES

Pistoia's Gothic Palazzo Communale is strung with works by Tuscan artists from the 13th to 20th centuries. Don't miss Bernardino di Antonio Detti's…

8. Antico Palazzo dei Vescovi

9.64 MILES

The bishops' palace, wedged next to the cathedral, provides a fascinating tour of Pistoia's urban history, ranging from touchable scale models of…