About Prato
Sitting in beautiful Tuscany, Prato is at the foot of Monte Retaia that is the last mountain peak in the Calvana chain with the Bisenzio River running through it. It has a healthy population of 193,000 inhabitants making it the 2nd largest city and the 3rd largest in central Italy, after Florence and Rome. It is here that you will find the iconic sweet treat from the Middle Ages that is now associated with the whole of Italy, "cantucci", a type of biscotti. There are several universities such as the Monash University Centre, The University of New Haven and a branch of the Università degli Studi di Firenze, "Il Polo Universitario "Città di Prato". A city for the history buffs to get excited over, it is now home to coworking venues catering to its innovative locals, students and of course the mandatory collection of globe trotting creatives who can't leave Italy and its pasta loving culture.
Italians have creativity running through their veins, from food to fashion, design to wine and there are plenty of innovative tech savvy souls lingering over espressos. Major tech players such as IBM and Apple are opening up new tech hubs alluding to the fact that there is loads of potential in the Italian market. The government is instigating new initiatives to make it easier for startups to "start up" in light of the fact that it has always had a reputation for being bureaucracy-heavy.
Prato is a bustling hive almost on a par with Milan and Rome when it comes to tech whisperers, fledgling startups and tech savvy youth. Coworking venues are giving them the space to mingle, to connect and to collaborate with the advantage of being able to duck out at lunch and indulge in Tuscany's incredible gourmand treats.