Livorno - Fall in Love with the City After Just One Week

Livorno is Modigliani's hometown. It's a really beautiful city. If you arrive by ship and head straight to places like Pisa or Florence, you'll only see the port. But if you stay here for at least a week, you'll fall in love with the city. Piazza Grande, Piazza della Repubblica, narrow streets with canals, the Medici Tower, the old and new castles, the fish market and the city market... The list goes on. During the discount season, Via Grande is the favorite shopping spot for both visitors and locals. If you venture a little further from the center, you can find small, unique Italian cafes and pizzerias that make pizza in wood-fired ovens. And the Tuscan wines perhaps some of the best in the world (I'm not insisting).

Livorno is a famous seaport loved by many cruise companies. The city's architecture really caught my attention. Monuments, statues... Everything looks mysterious and fascinating. Along Livorno's coastline, there are aristocratic villas, hotels, sanatoriums and parks. The city is also known as a shipbuilding hub. Public transportation is cheap and buses are quite common. A ticket costs about 3 euros. There are restaurants, bars and clubs along the Tuscan coast. So tourists definitely won't get bored.

Mascagni Terrace in Livorno is one of the best places to take a walk and relax peacefully. When I first stepped there, I was impressed by the sea view and the wide stone-paved area. Livorno is relatively young compared to other Tuscan cities. It was heavily damaged during World War II, as it was one of the largest ports in the country at the time. There are places to visit in the city, but I think any tourist visiting Livorno should first explore the port, seafood restaurants and the fish market, rather than the classic tourist spots.

The Old Livorno Castle was one of the places I visited along the coastline. However, it was almost completely destroyed during the war. The building we see today was rebuilt about half a century ago on the old walls from the 11th century. The New Castle, though its name may sound contradictory is older than the Old Castle. There is also a park inside the castle.

Another important structure in Livorno is the Livorno Cathedral, located in Piazza Grande. The cathedral in this pentagonal-shaped square has a simple and unpretentious design. Its façade, decorated with gray columns, regained its current appearance after long restoration work following the bombings of 1943. Other interesting religious sites I visited in the city included the Madonna di Montenero Church, located on a high hill on the edge of the city and the Church of St. Catherine in New Venice. Especially Madonna di Montenero, with its view from the height left me in awe. Also the Four Moors monument in Michelangelo square was worth seeing.

I didn’t miss the chance to check out the city’s historic buildings either. The Palazzo Mediceo, built by the Medici family, is one of the oldest residences in Livorno. The Maurorgordato palace, located on the Fosso Reale Canal, was built for a Greek businessman. The main staircase was particularly impressive. I also discovered that Villa Letizia, located near the racetrack, was built for Prince Poniatowski.

After completing my cultural tour, I returned to Mascagni Terrace. This is one of the favorite spots for the people of Livorno to relax. I walked under the shade of the old trees along the terrace that stretches along the coast and sat at a café with the sound of the sea in the background. Mascagni Terrace and the coastline are lined with small café-bars. If you order an americano, make sure to specify that you want coffee. ☕ Otherwise, you might end up with an alcohol-based cocktail (this isn’t unique to Livorno, but it’s a general feature).

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