Between tradition and modernity, Prato’s provincial territority presents a number of interesting opportunities, supported by a territory with high growth potential and by Administrations committed to encouraging “virtuous” investments capable of bringing out the province’s full potential.

Although each individual business opportunity offers its own particular advantages, sight should not be lost of the various elements in the provincial context, which make investment in Prato a valid course of action, whether the investment be in the touristic, commercial, industrial or service sector. In synthesis, the provincial territory presents in its entirety:

- a solid business tradition, developed during the growth of the textile industry, which has made Prato and its province an ideal environment for accommodating industrial and service activities, thanks to an efficient qualified workforce, and an excellent offering of business services, and most importantly, an embedded culture favourable towards business, efficiency and work;

- excellent accessibility, favoured by the geographical position and by good road, rail and air transport infrastructure, further enriched by the "Gonfienti Interport", with its offering of advanced logistical services. Furthermore, new infrastructural improvements are foreseen ( eg. the Bisenzio Valley surface metro and the Prato-Signa trunk road );

- a growing residential population, a singular phenomena compared to other similar areas in Italy, with positive effects on local demand for goods and services, and on the availability of young, dynamic, qualified human resources;

- a developing tourist trade, with constantly growing numbers in recent years, sustained by consistent public promotion policies, to make full use of the provincial territory’s potential, with its historical, artistic and naturalistic attractions;

- a dynamic provincial property market, distinguished by a stable level of transactions and prices, this in a period of general contraction of the market; at the same time, prices are still competitive compared to some other areas in Tuscany, and moreover with excellent prospects of long term revaluation



From a purely administrative viewpoint, the Province of Prato is a “young” province – it was instituted in 1992 – but the territory has ancient origins, rich in identity and history, testimony to human art and genius, as well as counting important naturalistic aspects in a varied scenic panorama. Geographically the Province of Prato is situated in the north of Tuscany, and is composed of seven administrative councils:



Prato, capital of the Province, www.comune.prato.it - The following link will be opened in a new window



Cantagallo, www.comune.cantagallo.po.it - The following link will be opened in a new window



Carmignano, www.comune.carmignano.po.it - The following link will be opened in a new window



Montemurlo, www.comune.montemurlo.po.it - The following link will be opened in a new window



Poggio a Caiano, www.comune.poggio-a-caiano.po.it - The following link will be opened in a new window



Vaiano, www.comune.vaiano.po.it - The following link will be opened in a new window



Vernio, www.comune.vernio.po.it - The following link will be opened in a new window



The provincial territory comprises the valley following the River Bisenzio and the mountain ranges to the north of the city of Prato, a densely populated industrious plain of great economic importance with its textile district, and the rolling hills of Montalbano, cultivated with vineyards and olive orchards surrounding little medieval villages.

With its favourable geographic location, the province of Prato offers excellent accessibility and well equipped infrastructure. Passing through Prato, the A11 motorway, connecting Florence to the south-east with the west coast, crosses the Floretine section of the A1 motorway, which parts from Milan, and passes Bologna, Florence, Rome and arrives at Naples. The province of Prato has good internal road links, with:

- the SP1, a high traffic flow main road which offers a rapid route between Prato and Pistoia;

- the SS 325, which goes to Bologna, connecting the areas in the Bisenzio Valley,

- the SR66 and the SP126, which connect the centres of Montalbano with Florence, Prato and Pistoia.


To the excellent road infrastructure, should be added the importance of the rail network (eg. Florence-Bologna and Florence-Pistoia) which serves the province, the close proximity of Florence Airport ( 7kms from Prato ) and the presence of the “Gonfienti” Interport, the largest in central Italy. The interport is on “Corridor 1” ( the principle axis for cargo transport on European level ) and is a point of reference in central Tuscany for intermodal transport and for the quality and range of logistic services offered.

Although access to the provincial territory is quick and easy, both for people and goods, it is only by travelling slowly that the true wealth of this part of Tuscany becomes apparent. Every municipality has its own artistic and scenic identity, as well as a stratified history, in some cases going back to neolithic pre-history, across the oldest Italic civilisations (with splendid Etruscan-Roman artefacts), following through the medieval era and renaissance, up to the modern day world of contemporary art. Prato contains great artistic, architectural and historical treasures, (www.prato.turismo.toscana.it - The following link will be opened in a new window) , combining modernity, multi-ethnic culture, tradition and the will to be industrious.

The area of Prato is known worldwide for its textile industry, which has origins dating back to pre-medieval times, and which today places it on an international level as a textile producing district. Not lacking are great traditional quality eno-gastranomical products, and important naturalistic aspects, which make the Province of Prato a fascinating territory for anyone interested in taking a journey into the world of art, nature, history, taste and of course fashion. And finally, to complete the territorial picture, the modern face of Prato, continually evolving, multi-ethnic, the contemporary art, the face of business and work, the efficient urban organization of the “model” industrial zones, the broad-band, of modern commercial and directional centres, avant-gard services and of research departments and laboratories, which are located, not by chance, in the area.

History

The development of the Prato area represents one of the most significant cases of economic and industrial growth in the country.
Already important during the 1950’s-60’s, the growth of Prato registers further strong acceleration during the 1970’s, marking the territory as a prime industrial area and a European and world leader in textile production. Within a few years, the Prato area saw exponential manufacturing development, mainly concentrated on export, accompanied by urban and demographic growth of great proportions, sustained by a migratory flow, which has made Prato the second city in Tuscany and the third in central Italy.

Looking beyond the size of growth which has distinguished Prato and its Province, yet more interesting is understanding the economic mechanisms which made such expansion possible.
The local textile industry, which has its origins in medieval wool production, has in fact built its quantitative growth and evolution towards excellence in terms of product, quality and innovation, on a model of industrial district, which may be defined as “ a particular social-economic structure characterized by a (specific) local industry, with a high level of division of workloads between small businesses, and by a social and cultural climate favouring (by means of reduced transactional costs) the specialization, coordination and collaboration between businesses, and the cooperation of collective participants (trade associations, unions, local institutions,…) resulting in the public/collective production of local goods.”


Small businesses, widespread enterprise, flexibility and competition are part of Prato’s industrial area’s secret of success as a model of growth. These aspects of economic and entrepreneurial vitality fuse together with other key factors of a more structural or industrial nature such as specialized productivity, local technical competence, investment in innovation, large scale economy and agglomeration, cooperation and alliances between local businesses, and finally the support of local institutions, aimed at increasing local competition by providing businesses with high quality services, both of real and financial nature.

Actual development and new opportunities

The textile district, which continued growing in alternate phases until 2000, is today undergoing an intense process of requalification, through innovation and diversification of the district, which, though having reduced production volumes and export flow, has maintained its entrepreneurial potential.

On the one hand Prato defends its manufacturing identity (42.3% of employees work in manufacturing), its reserve of enterprise (demonstrated by a high tendency towards enterprise, with 6.64 businesses for every 100 inhabitants) and its role as a protagonist on world markets (Prato is the first Italian textile centre for exports). On the other hand, in order to grow the district requalifies itself, it diversifies and opens up, identifying itself no longer purely as a textile district in the strictest sense, but as a centre for fashion: local production phases and the area’s textile products are always to be found in the area of high added value per employee, with consequent investment not only in innovation,  but also in promotion (eg. Prato’s significant presence at the large exhibitions such as Milano Unica, Premiere Vision and Pitti Filati). No less in growth, the clothing sector (a natural diversification of the textile district ) becomes increasingly important following in the tracks of famous brands (eg. Patrizia Pepe), and to be noted the extreme entrepreneurial vitality of Prato’s Chinese community (the second in Italy) .

Prato fashion centre, Prato model of local and foreign enterprise, Prato open, young and dynamic, Prato in demographic and urban growth, Prato heart of the metropolitan development of central Italy on the Florence-Prato-Pistoia line: from the inheritance of a textile district these are the new shoots of development for this City and Province, projected with its enterprise and manufacturing vocation, with its excellent services, its advanced industrial areas and infrastructure, to attract productive investment and to write more important pages in Italy’s and Europe’s industrial future.

The industrial tradition and vocation of the Prato area have helped consolidate the ideal conditions for gathering productive and manufacturing investments. As well as many intangible factors favourable to investments, such as a local culture based on work and enterprise, the Prato Province offers ideal material conditions for the location of manufacturing businesses, among which the presence of large industrial areas equipped with excellent services of high value such as centralized water purification and advanced intermodal logistics.
Macrolotto 1: between eco-sustainability and centralized services, one of the most advanced industrial areas in Europe - www.conseronline.it - The following link will be opened in a new window


Macrolotto I, the property of which is distributed among hundreds of owners, is an example of a very advanced industrial area, in which the management of services and local infrastructures is centralised and rationalised at area level, with great advantages in terms of business savings and productivity, welfare and environmental protection.

In terms of enterprises and employees Macrolotto I accounts for:

• More than 300 micro, small and medium sized enterprises;
• About 3000 employees;
• Three directional centres beside the enterprises;

In terms of surface:

• 150 he overall surface;
• 30 he roads;
• 25 he green areas, services, social structures;
• 95 he residential zoning;
• 55 he buildings.

Macrolotto I, the management and services of which are organised on a consortia basis (the CON.SER is the main consortium providing services), presents itself as a industrial area able to provide strategic services to enterprises not usually offered by the market. In addition to this, the area offers services aimed at increasing life quality and time saving for the employees, such as car pooling, car sharing, inter-firm nursery and many other shopping and leisure facilities.
In particular, enterprises in Macrolotto I are provided with services, cost-reducing and/or productivity-increasing, such as:

• The largest European industrial water recycling plant;
• The most modern systems for enhancing energy saving and for exploiting a centralised co-generation throughout the Macrolotto area;
• Mobility Manager Office for resolving traffic problems related to the industrial area;
• Optical fibre network;

Macrolotto 2: at Prato, an area developing in the name of quality - www.macrolotto2.com - The following link will be opened in a new window

Conceived in order to achieve the maximum synergy between economic, industrial, logistic and other service functions, Prato’s Macrolotto 2 industrial zone has been planned to meet the infrastructural, logistic and environmental needs of the area, intending to satisfy the multiple demands of the many businesses eager to operate in an area of high productive vocation . Numerous companies have already taken over various lots, as the area passes the phase of infrastructural realization into that of developing opportunity, both for those who already operate on the territory, and for those – whether from other parts of the country or from abroad – who wish to choose the district as fertile terrain for the growth of their business.

The area is directly connected to the A1 and A11 motorways as well as Prato Interport in the immediate vicinity, and Florence Airport only 8 km away.

Macrolotto 2 possesses many strong points, with consequent advantages in terms of synergy and services for the businesses located there:

• 236 hectares of lots ;
• 22 km of public road with almost as much again for private consortial use;
• 780,000 sq.m of productive development;
• Over 290,000 cubic metres of commercial and directional development (91,000 sq.m gross area)
• 281,000 sq.m of green areas and secondary urbanisation areas, part of which destined for sports use;
• A primary ENEL cabin with a network of 35 secondary cabins guaranteeing electrical supply;
• Two cable networks, one public and one private ;
• Two networks for gas supply at low and medium pressure, as well as the SNAM high pressure methane gasduct;
• An industrial aqueduct which will also work as a fire extinguishing aqueduct;
• Parallel to the public cable network, a private one covering the entire area and predisposed for fibre-optic communication.

The industrial area has been planned and developed in the name of quality and safety: in this direction goes the industrial aqueduct and the innovative hydraulic waste disposal system, minimising the environmental impact on the area. Differently to traditional systems, severely tested by sudden downpours with large quantities of rain water causing direct and indirect damage to activities, this system bypasses such problems, contemporarily allowing the resupplementation of the water table, an essential resource for the territory and for its productive activities.

GIDA Spa - www.gida-spa.it - The following link will be opened in a new window
An important service in the province of Prato is represented by the textile district’s “centralized water purification system”, run by GIDA (Gestione Impianti Depurazione Acque – Water Purification Plant Management), a joint-stock company with public and private capital created in 1981, following the activation of the first lot of the Baciacavallo centralized water purification plant. The choice of a centralized system offers businesses numerous advantages, such as reduced costs (due to large scale economy on investment and running costs), the employment of people with specific technical and professional training for the plant’s operation, and a release from much of the responsibility related to waste-water purification. Participating together with GIDA in the centralized water purification system, are the Consorzio Progetto Acqua SPA, the Prato Council and, in different measures, other interested councils.

Presently, the industrial aqueduct supplies 1.5 million cubic metres of water per year.

INTERPORT - www.interportoprato.it - The following link will be opened in a new window


The Central Tuscany Interport, in which over 35 companies presently operate, covers an area of over 700,000 sq.m, with 60,000 sq.m of warehousing, 6,000 sq.m of offices and an intermodal terminal, in expansion, with two rail lines of 650 metres length, and a complete modern customs structure. Still more interesting are the future perspectives of the infrastructure, which will shortly be increasing the warehousing by 20,000 sq.m, together with services for vehicles, and opening general market warehouses together with the activation of a direct rail link to the port of Livorno, transforming the Prato Interport into a genuine “dry-dock” of Livorno.
Added to this will be a railway platform with further lines, capable of offering a complete rail transport service, integrating the intermodal functions with those of the trucks and the surrounding warehouses, for which are foreseen ulterior construction of around 16,000 sq.m. In the medium term, planning has been made to further extend the area by 260,000 sq.m into Campi Bisenzio, an area already destined to the interport by approved urbanistic planning. Bar, restaurant and hygienic services will be present in the parking area, followed by training facilities for the logistics sector, banks and a small market.
s Attended and unattended parking areas will be available for vehicles, including “cold-chain” facilities (for low-temperature transport eg. frozen foods ) as well as a mechanical workshop. Successively a refuelling station (multi energy Truck centre) with cleaning facilities for heavy vehicles will be opened, while customs services are available, together with a container repair workshop, telematic access control, handling, railway manoeuvring and parking within the terminal.

The access to the area of Prato is easy and immediate for both people and goods, but it is only by passing slowly through its territory that one can discover the richness of this part of Tuscany. Each municipality has its own artistic and landscape peculiarities, as well as a different history: from the Neolithic, Etruscan, Roman Age, to the Middle Age, Renaissance and finally to the Contemporary times. Prato accounts for great artistic, architectural and museal assets (www.prato.turismo.toscana.it - The following link will be opened in a new window), combining modernity, multi-ethnic integration, tradition and industry.

The Province of Prato offers visitors many opportunities, form museums to villas, from eco-tourism to the folklore of a province with a rich historical and artistic background, which goes hand in hand with various naturalistic attractions. Together with works of art from every period, from prehistoric times to the Etruscan era, from medieval times to the renaissance, up to modern contemporary art, the Province of Prato also offers opportunities for eco-tourism. Crossed by the G.E.A. (Grande Escursione Appenninica – Great Appenine hiking route), the Province has many trekking routes and splendid rural accomodation where visitors may fully enjoy the area’s natural beauty and take part in horse-riding, fishing, golf and tennis. There are also many events connected to local folklore such as the "Fiera di Prato" with the "Ostensione della Sacra Cintola della Madonna", the period costume procession, and the "Palio dei Ciuchi" at Carmignano.


The Prato area is well known all over the world for its wool manufactures that originate before the Middle Age, and that nowadays make Prato a world-leading textile district. The Prato tradition also claims excellent wine and food products. In addition to this, art, nature, history are a unique blend that make the Prato territory exceptionally attractive for many tourists and visitors. Finally, the province of Prato is also very much involved in modern transformation: it hosts contemporary art, cross-country culture, an efficient urban organization, exemplary industrial areas, a broadband network, modern headquarters and malls and advanced tertiary, R&D laboratories and departments.