Restaurants

The restaurant scene fares better than hotels in Prato, and many local restaurateurs have taken advantage of the city's proximity to Florence's airport to partake of the daily infusions of fresh fish flown in from the coast.

Besides the places reviewed, try Tonio, Piazza Mercatale 161 (tel. 0574-21-266; Tues-Sat 12:30-2:30pm and 7:30-10:30pm), a formal place with very good seafood dishes. For a sweet treat, be sure to stop by Chocolat, Via Magnolfi 83 (tel. 0574-27-308), home to some of the best hand-made ice cream in Tuscany, and an arsenal of chocolate goodies besides. It's just across from the main entrance to the Porta Serraglio train station. (It also makes for a great, air-conditioned lobby while waiting for a train in the summer.)

Italy's Best Biscotti -- Prato is known throughout Italy for making the finest of those twice-baked hard almond crescent cookies called cantucci. To pick up a bag of these biscotti di Prato, stop by the award-winning shop Antonio Mattei, Via Ricasoli 20-22 (tel. 0574-257-56; www.antoniomattei.it), which has been selling Prato's famous cantucci and the vin santo in which to dunk them since 1858. The shop is open Tuesday through Friday from 8am to 8pm, and weekends from 8am to 1pm and 3:30 to 7:30pm (closed Sun afternoon).