The Civic Museum of Palazzo Pretorio in Prato
Pictorial collection of well-known Renaissance artists such as Filippo Lippi
The Civic Museum of Prato is housed inside the 13th-century Palazzo Pretorio, a landmark building of the city's civic architecture and history, freed at the turn of the century from Baroque additions with a restoration that accentuated its imposing medieval layout.
The collection originates from the Quadreria di Palazzo comunale, established in 1788 and reorganized in 1858 by Gaetano Guasti, and includes works of art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
A journey through 3 thousand works including paintings, drawings and sculptures that is a true journey into the history of the city through its artistic heritage.
The first room is dedicated to the Sacra Cintola, Bernardo Daddi, Agnolo Gaddi and other authors of the late 14th century, while the main hall houses the most significant works: the great late Gothic polyptychs, including the one by Giovanni da Milano from the Ospedale della Misericordia, and masterpieces by Filippo Lippi such as the Madonna del Ceppo and the Adorazione del Bambino by San Vincenzo Ferrer.
In the hall dedicated to Renaissance sculpture we also find a work by Donatello, while a section of the Museum focuses on the drawings and works of the great sculptor from Prato Lorenzo Bartolini.
Not to forget the masters of the 15th and 16th centuries, such as Botticini, Raffaellino del Garbo and Luca Signorelli, the painting of the 16th and 17th centuries, and finally the works of Ardengo Soffici and some painters of the School of Prato to represent the 20th century.
Within the museum is present a multisensorial parallel path with interactive contents, works to be touched and listened to, guides in sign language, new multimedia devices equipped with contemporary languages.
On the ground floor is an interactive multimedia model that reconstructs Palazzo Pretorio three-dimensionally in scale; there are also tactile reproductions of three works that are part of the permanent collection.
In 2024, a new nucleus dedicated to the former Museum of the Risorgimento was set up inside the Museum of Palazzo Pretorio. In the early 20th century, it had been located in a small room on the second floor of the Palazzo. The new display case contains rifles, sabers, helmets and uniform accessories mainly from citizens of Prato who, starting in the late 19th century, donated rare evidence of their participation in the history of the Risorgimento.
Information on accessibility: palazzopretorio.prato.it
