duomo di prato

The outside is beautiful! I was particularly amazed by the balcony! The nr. one attraction in Prato for me. Did not enter the church though.

Probably one of the best cycle of affreschi in Tuscany. Filippo lippi at his best. Don't forget also to visit the museum of sacred art close to duomo, whit Donatello's formelle.

Loved the stain windows and well preserved frescoes. Be prepared to pay and extra €3.00 for a close up view and information.

I have a passion for art history so this was obviously going to have the 'wow' factor for me but it really is truly breathtaking. There is a very unusual (well I haven't seen one before) pulpit on the outside of the building. The church holds a reliquary of the belt of the Virgin Mary, held in a side chapel inside the Church for most of the year. Three or four times a year the priests display the girdle in the outside pulpit and exhibit it to the assembled crowds (which I believe runs to thousands). This is a festival of great importance and has the pageantry that only the Italians are capable of !!! The frescoes behind the main altar in the apse by Filippo Lippi are just a pure joy......I was alone in the Church and you are allowed as much time as you like to admire the narrative cycle of this most expressive artist. If you love art, this is the place for you.......just take the time to see that, although Florence is not too far away, Prato is its worthy rival. Enjoy !

Could have stood and stared at the amazing frescoes all morning!!Beautiful calming atmosphere. Well worth a visit. Would recommend.

Prato's duomo doesn't hold a candle to the one in Florence, of course. No huge dome or tower that you can climb. But it's also blessedly free of tourists and has something it's more visited sibling doesn't: a holy relic (Mary's girdle) and a really nifty viewing platform for its periodic presentation to the public. The piazza del Duomo is also a wonderful place to sit and people watch.

As an art lover and a fan of Filippo Lippi, I was blown away by his frescoes at the Duomo di Prato. They are magnificent. More than worth the charge of a few euros, Lippi's frescos will likely be much less crowded than other famous chapels (like Arezzo's Piero della Francesco cycle). If you are especially keen, check out the history first. Romance and scandal followed Filippo Lippi! There is lots of info online about the affair between the artist and the young nun Lucrezia Buti, who posed for the figure Salome. I later read the fictionalized account by Laurie Lico Albanese in "The Miracles of Prato" and wished I had read it before I went. Even if you are not big on Lippi, there are aspects of this cathedral that are unique. Check out the exterior pulpit, which has gorgeous relief carvings by Donatello. I have never seen an exterior pulpit. And the chapel of the sacred girdle is amazing. (I didn't even know there was a sacred girdle relic!!) Unfortunately, the chapel was closed the day we visited, but we could peek around the wrought iron gate to see the Gaddi frescoes. There were a few Pratesi praying in front of this chapel, and their reverence was palpable. Very moving.Piazza del Duomo is grand. Lots of locals were there, and even in July there weren't many tourists. This is the real Italy.

Lippi frescos are delightful. And if you can be there for the display from the pulpit of the Virgin's belt which occurs several times each year, you are in for a lovely surprise. Piazza del Duomo is the heart of Prato.

I find the smaller, less-trafficked churches more sacred and enjoyable without throngs of visitors jostling. This charming church was built in the 13th century, though it was founded in the 9th!It has a unique exterior pulpit by Donatello and its claim to fame is the Girdle of the Virgin. There is an elaborate carved pulpit by Pisano and beautiful terracotta by Della Robbia.

It might not be the most wonderful cathedral you've seen, but it certainly is a high point in a visit to Prato. Note the interesting - and unique? - pulpit built on an exterior corner of the building.The facade is fairly austere and perhaps a little misleading, because Inside are some wonderful frescoes which are worth the visit.

A beautiful piazza and the outside is beautiful and classic. The inside is much more functional, you can tell this is a regular place of worship for a lot of the locals.

Outside is not too special, but inside is wonderful.A bit like the opposite to THE Duomo in Florence!

Stunning cathedral, interesting outside walls in Green and White stone, frescoes all over the walls and ceiling inside the Cintola Chapel and near the Altar (and only EU3 entry).

Prato is a gem. This Duomo has just had it's Frescos restored to their former glory and the charge to see inside is just Euro 3.

Magnificent works of art,lovely Gothic period church