The Prato Textile City Room illustrates the development of the textile (and especially wool) manufacturing industry in Prato between the Middle Ages and the end of the 20th century.

Commencing with an overview of the production of woollen cloth in medieval times, the Prato Textile City exhibition uses iconographic materials and documents to illustrate how the particular cleansing properties of the earth in the Galceti area of the city, the presence of the River Bisenzio and the establishment of a system of water channels (gore) facilitated the commencement of textile manufacture in the Middle Ages. Another important moment in the history of textile production in Prato was the resumption of the manufacture of the berretto alla levantina (fez) following the restrictions imposed by the Grand Dukes of Tuscany in the 18th century, while the installation of the first Jacquard loom (by Giovanbattista Mazzoni) in the early 19th century marked the city’s first step towards mechanization.

Between 1850 and 1950, textile production in Prato mainly focused on the manufacture of carded regenerated wool. The Prato Textile City collection includes a large number of exhibits related to the production of this textile as well as documentation of the organizational, social and production changes implemented as a result.

The Prato Textile City exhibition concludes with an overview of the frenetic activity which has characterized the area since the second world war and the development of the current industrialized textile manufacturing district.