Cassero medievale

The Corridore del Cassero was an elevated passage linking Prato's city walls with the Castello dell'Imperatore. Built after the city submitted to Florence in 1351, it allowed soldiers to move between the walls and the fortress while screened from the streets below. Sections of the corridor survive above Viale Piave.

Why it matters

The Cassero reflects the political and military history of Prato under Florentine rule. A covered corridor connected the city walls near Porta Fiorentina with the rear entrance of the Castello dell'Imperatore, allowing protected movement between defensive structures. The structure was partly lost during nineteenth- and twentieth-century changes to the city. Restoration completed in 2000 recovered two surviving sections.

What to notice

The surviving masonry corridor has small rectangular windows alternating with lunettes. Its elevated position and screened openings reflect its defensive purpose. The proximity of the Castello dell'Imperatore makes clear the relationship between the passage and the fortress it served.

Context and history

Prato submitted to Florence in 1351, after which the new rulers strengthened their control of the city. A covered elevated corridor of about 230 metres connected the walls near Porta Fiorentina to the rear entrance of the Castello dell'Imperatore. For centuries the castle and passage formed parts of the city's defensive system. Demolitions in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, associated with the creation of Viale Piave along the walls, removed much of the structure. A restoration completed in 2000 recovered two surviving sections.