Strolling among the houses in Tuscany you easily come across small or big treasures that are the fruit of man`s talent and labour. Obviously, Prato is no exception.

Among the buildings and apartments in the historic centre, just a stone`s throw from Piazza Mercatale, stands the cathedral of Santo Stefano, the city "Duomo". It impresses tourists with its bicolour marble façade, a glazed-terracotta lunette over the portal, attributed to Andrea della Robbia, and the pulpit in the right aisle of the building.

It is from this pulpit realized by Michelozzo in the 15th century that five times a year the so-called "Sacra Cintola" (or "Sacro Cingolo") is displayed to the public - namely at Easter, at Christmas, on May 1st, on August 15th and on September 8th.

The legend goes that the strip of green fabric, woven with gold threads and less than one metre in length, was the belt that the Virgin Mary gave to Saint Thomas during the Assumption. It was then the pilgrim Michele Dagomari who brought the relic to Tuscany and to Prato.

Every year, on September 8th, the day in which the Catholic and Orthodox Church celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary, the ostension of the "Sacra Cintola" is preceded by a historical pageant with the participation of representatives of other Tuscan cities, including Florence Cortona and Arezzo

At the end of this chapter of our tourist guide we want to suggest you a visit to the Museo dell`Opera del Duomo, hosted in the Palazzo Vescovile standing next to the cathedral. The museum houses works of art coming from the main city church or linked to the cult of the "Sacra Cintola".