Sat. 17. [17 February 1894] To Prato - not nearly so nice as Pistoia
though the Cathedral is fine - barred white and black and with a
beautiful Donatello pulpit outside. Dear Donatello! his dancing boys
are quite pagan and most inappropriate - and most delicious! But the
Lippo Lippi frescoes were all covered up which made us very cross -
a great canapy [sic] hid them - such a piece of vandalism! They
keep the Cintola here - it has a chapel of its own all frescoed rather
nicely by Agnolo Gaddi. In the Palazzo Commune we passed
through several rooms reeking of tobacco - one of them is where they
have the civil marriages! - and found a small gallery with 2 charming
Lippo Lippis and a little Filippino predella. Nice square castle in the
middle of the town. Lunched at a little inn where next door on one side
were 2 English women whose room we refused to share and on the
other side a party of working men of whom the waiter came and
whispered to us in triumph "tutti Inglesi - da Landra!" We couldn't think
what they were doing there unless they were anarchist delegates.
Back by the steam tram running through villages where the women
were all sitting on their doorsteps plaiting straw. Tea at Giacosa's.
The conversation at dinner turned on vegetables oysters and iron
clad[?], Miss Fanny and Mrs Pratt contributed valuable facts and we
we [sic] feeble with internal laughter.