San Marco square A meeting between past and present in the iconic Prato square
Piazza San Marco, shrouded in its history and surrounded by the vibrant pulse of the present, takes its name from the church of the same name, an ancient jewel that still stands on the western side of the square.
This place is the epicenter of the avenues that intertwine the city, a crucial node that connects the majestic Emperor's Castle to the Bisenzio river and the railway station, a bridge between eras that embraces the antiquity and modernity of Prato.
Once upon a time, the Porta San Marco or Porta Fiorentina (gate) stood here, a fourteenth-century symbol which, in 1883, was sacrificed together with a stretch of thousand-year-old walls to make room for the passage of the tramway. In the heart of a green space, in 1974, the imposing white Apuan marble sculpture, Square shape with cut, created by the English artist Henry Moore, took place. This work has become an icon of contemporary art in Prato, a solidly imposing monument that the people of Prato affectionately call "Il Buco".
In this square, every step guides you through the traces of the past and the pulse of the present, where the majesty of the ancient walls dialogues with the grandeur of contemporary art, creating a mix of eras and styles that defines the vibrant character of Prato.