We will be staying outside of Florence early May, making daily train trips. We have read about Pistoia and Prato, not much in the books - but we like the little towns of Italy. Is it worth getting off the train for a walk about?
Posted by
Firenze
500 posts
it depends. Siena and Lucca have so many art works, notable architecture and nice alleys that they would be the first choices for day trips. But if you have time to kill in Florence you can consider also these two. You can go to Prato, have a walk and go back in as little as three hours.
If you are going to Prato, take a regional train direction Pistoia and get down at Prato Porta al Serraglio stop, the second stop in Prato, that is much closer to the city center than the Prato Centrale big station. The most famous shop in Prato is the Mattei cookies factory - almond cookies sold in blue packages are called "mattonelle" (little bricks) and are almost as hard as, ahem, bricks, as they are meant to be dipped in vinsanto sweet wine.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
I haven't been to Prato yet but Pistoia is a lovely town to spend a day in. I was there for a couple of nights and enjoyed it very much - architecture, food, people.
Posted by
OP
Terre Haute, IN, USA
32 posts
Thanks, we were thinking of a short walk in both either on the way in or out of Florence after time there.
Like the idea if the bricks, appreciate the input, we are planning a return trip to Siena too, by bus.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16555 posts
Go to Pistoia first. More to see and in my opinion prettier than Prato. Actually in my opinion, in terms of pretty Tuscan cities, Pistoia comes before Pisa, which would be nothing without that Piazza with the leaning tower. If you have time on the way back to Florence, stop in Prato for no more than 2 hours. The historical center has the duomo and a castle to see.