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TENNIS
BIKE SALE, SERVICE AND RENTALS
INFO, NEWS AND SPECIALS
- MyNav 600 Professional
- Rent a bike in Hotel Toscana
- Open new store in Via Franchi N. 12
INTERESTING WEBSITES
www.abetone.org
www.dovesciare.com
www.neveitalia.it
www.pianetasci.it
PRESS
Gli anni d'oro del ciclismo pratese
Coppini, ventidue vittorie e sessant'anni di ciclismo
Enzo Coppini "Il morino di Prato"
Il morino di Prato era troppo legato alla "Benotto"
| Castello dell'Imperatore |
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The castle was erected by order of Frederick II starting from 1240, over a fortress of the Alberti family. It is one of the four major structures on which the reputation of Frederick as the builder-Emperor rests, and the only one north of the Kingdom of Naples.   The construction was halted at the emperor's death in 1250. In the following century, under the Florentine dominion, the castle was connected to the third line of city walls by means of a covered corridor, called Corridore del Cassero. Only example of Suebi architecture in centre and northern Italy, it was built by the Sicilian architect Riccardo da Lentini between 1237 and 1248 and commissioned by the emperor Frederick II of Swabia. The castle has a square floor plan strengthened at the corners by great towers, also with a square floor-plan; other towers are inserted halfway the sides: the ones on the eastern and southern sides have an original pentagonal floor-plan while the ones on the other two sides - originally much taller and used as watch-towers - were enclosed by the previous palatium |