To spot Palazzo Datini, look for a sturdy, medieval mansion with thick grayish walls and a jumble of elegant windows, just off Via Ser Lapo Mazzei-the frescoes on the facade might be faded now, but they were once showstoppers in the neighborhood.
Now, let me introduce you to the house of Francesco Datini, a fellow some folks called “the merchant of Prato” and others probably called “the boss you never want to cross.” He moved into this corner in the mid-1300s, snagging the property for 63 lire and 6 soldi-a bargain back then, but the equivalent of thousands of dollars in today's terms. Even then, renovations started immediately, because apparently medieval Italians couldn’t resist a bit of home improvement either.
As the house took shape, Datini brought in some of the best Florence had to offer: artists like Niccolò Gerini and Agnolo Gaddi. The walls quickly filled up with stories-literally. In 1410, a whole team of painters was tasked to cover over 2,000 square arms of wall in “marble” painting, with sixteen panels showing off Datini’s life and a flurry of golden lilies and official crests. The payout? Two hundred seventy-eight golden florins, plus supplies-think tens of thousands, easily, by modern rates. All that show was a subtle way of saying, “Yes, I’ve made it in the world. And I know painters.”
Inside, you’ll find the Casa Datini Museum. Admission is free, so you can dive into the life of one of the early “self-made men”-and see how his house went from a private home to an archive and center for everything from postal history to economic research.
When you’re up for it, the Francesco Cicognini National State Boarding School is just 2 minutes southwest from here.
