Some tips on what to see…
The beautiful viewpoint is perhaps the most elegant and magical place of Livorno. The geometric flooring and the white balustrades dense with small columns expand the spaces, while the view extends beyond the rocks, from the port to the islands of the archipelago.
The large and elegant building was built in 1894 and is today still open: it represents the centre of the city gastronomy together with the fish and vegetable market.
This neighbourhood was built around 1629 with the purpose of being a merchant island. Today it has been recovered and is a must see of the city.
Livorno
Imagine the sea, with its waves, its scents and thousand coloured shades, with its wind and salt that gently caresses your face, the imposing cliffs kissed by the bright sun rays, the wonderful coves, the shadow of the offshore islands, the port and the sea that enters at the centre of the most beautiful neighbourhoods of the city through the Medici canals: this is Livorno, a modern city with water as its predominant element.
One way to understand the history of Livorno, an open and multicultural city, lies in its population. An ideal city for the Medici, who focused their attention on the area noticing its importance as an outlet to the sea of Tuscany. The work on the suggestive Fortezza Vecchia began at the end of the 16th century and so did the construction of the city and the increase in population. The enactment of the Leggi Livornine was an invitation to settle in the city: these laws promised freedom of worship, costume and thought, besides the cancellation of taxes, debs and criminal record. All of this, also thanks to the free port, increased the commercial traffic and the influx of people of every race and nation. The city becomes cosmopolitan and rich in cultural exchanges; of this enlightening period remain the scattered signs on the urban fabric, the religious and non- buildings, the popular wine and food traditions and the streets and squares names.
Livorno
Imagine the sea, with its waves, its scents and thousand coloured shades, with its wind and salt that gently caresses your face, the imposing cliffs kissed by the bright sun rays, the wonderful coves, the shadow of the offshore islands, the port and the sea that enters at the centre of the most beautiful neighbourhoods of the city through the Medici canals: this is Livorno, a modern city with water as its predominant element.
One way to understand the history of Livorno, an open and multicultural city, lies in its population. An ideal city for the Medici, who focused their attention on the area noticing its importance as an outlet to the sea of Tuscany. The work on the suggestive Fortezza Vecchia began at the end of the 16th century and so did the construction of the city and the increase in population. The enactment of the Leggi Livornine was an invitation to settle in the city: these laws promised freedom of worship, costume and thought, besides the cancellation of taxes, debs and criminal record. All of this, also thanks to the free port, increased the commercial traffic and the influx of people of every race and nation. The city becomes cosmopolitan and rich in cultural exchanges; of this enlightening period remain the scattered signs on the urban fabric, the religious and non- buildings, the popular wine and food traditions and the streets and squares names.
Livorno was the birthplace of personalities such as Pietro Mascagni, musician of the famous Cavalleria Rusticana, Giovanni Fattori, head of the Macchiaioli movement and Amedeo Modigliani, famous painter known for his long-necked figures.
A nice and joyful city characterised by beautiful evenings, typical bars, beach shacks that sell from ice-cream to oysters, infinite restaurants that show the attitude of the people of Livorno who, generally, love to enjoy the pleasures of life. For this reason eating in Livorno offers a great variety of choices, from the well-known torta di ceci to the roschette. However, the most popular dishes are sea dishes, such as the Livorno-style cod and red mullet, anchovies alla povera, spaghetti with clams and the legendary cacciucco. To savour the flavours of the city you have to dive into a plate of cacciucco, a tasty, spicy and flavourful fish-based soup, that smells like the city’s history, born from the encounter of different cultures.
Livorno was the birthplace of personalities such as Pietro Mascagni, musician of the famous Cavalleria Rusticana, Giovanni Fattori, head of the Macchiaioli movement and Amedeo Modigliani, famous painter known for his long-necked figures.
A nice and joyful city characterised by beautiful evenings, typical bars, beach shacks that sell from ice-cream to oysters, infinite restaurants that show the attitude of the people of Livorno who, generally, love to enjoy the pleasures of life. For this reason eating in Livorno offers a great variety of choices, from the well-known torta di ceci to the roschette. However, the most popular dishes are sea dishes, such as the Livorno-style cod and red mullet, anchovies alla povera, spaghetti with clams and the legendary cacciucco. To savour the flavours of the city you have to dive into a plate of cacciucco, a tasty, spicy and flavourful fish-based soup, that smells like the city’s history, born from the encounter of different cultures.
