Palazzo Datini (Casa Datini)

Palazzo Datini in Prato was built for the merchant Francesco di Marco Datini between 1386 and 1409. Today, its ground floor houses the Casa Datini museum, while the upper floor is home to the State Archive of Prato. The palace preserves traces of Datini’s household and of the charitable institution he founded.

Why it matters

Datini conceived the palace while living in Avignon, where he began his career as a merchant. After his death in 1410, his will left the residence, garden and a house opposite it to the Ceppo dei poveri, a charitable institution for the poor of Prato. The palace thus became both a private residence and a civic legacy.

What to notice

The large loggia and courtyard retain the character of the late-medieval residence. The courtyard once held murals of illustrious men and virtues, with some fragments still surviving. Two ground-floor rooms preserve nearly intact wall decorations of groves and animals. The paintings were made by decorators and painters active in Florence, including Niccolò di Piero Gerini, Tommaso del Mazza, Arrigo di Niccolò and Bartolomeo di Bertozzo.

Context and history

Datini’s papers remained in the palace and were discovered around 1870 when workers demolished a partition wall. They document more than forty years of his activities and those of the institution that inherited his legacy. A major restoration led by architect Nello Bemporad took place in 1956–1957. The State Archive moved into the building in 1957, and the ground-floor rooms later became the Casa Datini museum, managed by the Casa Pia dei Ceppi foundation.