Taking its name from the meadow ( prato ) where a great market was held in antiquity, PRATO - capital of its own little province 15km northwest of Florence - has been Italy's chief textile city since the early Middle Ages. Even though recent recession has cut into export sales, it still produces three-quarters of all Italy's woollen cloth. Its proximity to Florence (just half-an-hour away) makes it feasible as a cut-price alternative base.

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