Prato - Palazzo Datini

The Palazzo Datini, to the south of the Piazza del Comune, was the residence of the merchant and banker Francesco di Marco Datini (1330-1410), one of the wealthiest men of his day. (See Iris Origo's book, "The Merchant of Prato".) After Datini's death the outside of the house was covered with frescoes depicting scenes from his life, now represented only by scanty remains of the sinópie (the artist's preliminary sketches).