|
Practicalities
|
|
|
All
trains
(including services direct from Bologna) stop at Stazione Centrale; slow Florence-Pistoia trains also stop at the more convenient Stazione Porta al Serraglio, 150m north of Piazza Duomo. CAP and Lazzi
buses
from Florence stop at Piazza Duomo, while Lazzi buses from Pistoia, Lucca and local villages pass through both train station forecourts. The
tourist office
(Mon-Sat: summer 9-6.30pm; winter 9am-1pm & 3-6pm; tel 0574.24.112,
www.prato.turismo.toscana.it
) is on Piazza Santa Maria delle Carceri, 500m west of Stazione Centrale in the centre of the old town - it has excellent English booklets on local walks and attractions.
Near the Luigi Pecci museum is the lavish five-star hotel Art Hotel Museo , Via della Repubblica 289 (tel 0574.5787, fax 0574.578.880, www.arthotel.it ; L250,000-300,000/€129.11-154.94), but the most agreeable central hotel is the Flora , Via Cairoli 31 (tel 0574.33.521, fax 0574.40.289, www.texnet.it/utenti/comm/hotelflora ; L150,000-200,000/€77.47-103.29). Prato has a single one-star, the Roma , Via Carradori 1 (tel 0574.31.777, fax 0574.604.351; L60,000-90,000/€30.99-46.48), and several two-stars, including the once-grand Stella d'Italia at Piazza Duomo 8 (tel & fax 0574.27.910; L90,000-120,000/€46.48-61.98). The HI hostel Villa Fiorelli is in Parco di Galceti, 3km from the station by bus #13 (tel 0574.697.611, fax 0574.697.6256; L25,000/€12.91).
Mattei
, Via Ricasoli 20 (closed Mon) is a venerable old
cafe
in business since 1858, famed for its
biscotti
. The atmospheric
restaurant
Osteria Cibbe
, Piazza Mercatale 49 (tel 0574.607.509; closed Sun), serves up decent, fairly priced local food in an intimate, friendly setting on a huge piazza 200m east of the tourist office. For pricier Pratese cooking, head for
Osvaldo Baroncelli
, Via Fra Bartolomeo 13 south of Piazza Europa (tel 0574.23.810; closed Sat lunch & Sun), a long-established, formal little place. The
Pirana
, Via Valentini 110 (tel 0574.25.746; closed Sat lunch & Sun) is acclaimed as one of Tuscany's best fish restaurants.
Salome
, in Hotel Flora
, is a vegetarian restaurant open evenings only (closed Sun). The rabbit in Prato's hat, however, is its numerically and culturally strong Chinese community; exploit the fact at the affordable
Hua Li Du
, Via Marini 4 (closed Tues lunch). The
Loch Ness
, Via Santo Stefano 24 (open nightly), tries to be a Scottish
pub
; what it lacks in authenticity, it makes up for in whisky. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
|
Italy,
|