On April 4 2024, the Luigi Pecci Center for Contemporary Art hosted the launch event of the European project EPIC (Experience Prato Industrial Culture), funded by the European Urban Initiative (EUI). This extraordinary initiative will transform Prato over the coming years into the European capital of the most innovative industrial tourism.

EPIC aims to enhance the city’s industrial heritage as a driver of growth for the entire area, creating a unique tourism offering that integrates its productive past with contemporary excellence in fashion, design, and textiles. Thanks to the new physical and virtual experiences promoted by the project, visitors to Prato will be able to immerse themselves in the beating heart of the city, experiencing its history and modern identity through virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

The event marked the beginning of a journey that brings together the Municipality of Prato and numerous partners: Fondazione Museo del Tessuto, Fondazione Sistema Toscana, the National Research Council IBE, Immerxive, AWHY, FLOD, Lama, Cristoforo, and Eutropian, to develop an “endless” form of tourism that goes beyond seasonality and promotes a deeper and more conscious vision of the territory.

During the event, the project activities and the opportunities EPIC will offer to tourists were presented, showing how digital and physical tourism will integrate to deliver unforgettable experiences.

The launch offered a first look at how EPIC will bring the industrial tourism of the future to Prato.