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 This seaside town that belongs to a province of the same name, is also well known by its anglicized version, Leghorn, thanks to the English expatriates who once swarmed the place – incidentally even the well-known poet Shelly was among them. The name is still popular and very much in use. A breed of chicken is named after this city and so is a popular comic character of Looney Tunes, Foghorn Leghorn, who is a favorite among many children.
Located 18 kms away from Pisa, it’s a small stretch of road to cover from the Leaning Tower to reach Livorno, if tourists wish to spend a few days of relaxation after a hectic sight-seeing stint around Tuscany. Livorno is the capital of the smallest provinces of Italy, among the country’s largest ports, Tuscany’s third biggest town and the region’s gateway to the Mediterranean Sea. Its commercial importance as a port, proved a distinct disadvantage to its residents in the past, during World War II, as heavy bombing brought large-scale devastation to the place. Today if one were to see the rebuilt commercial center, nobody would imagine the town to be a tourist spot until one saw the back streets and the picture postcard like crisscross of beautiful canals, dotted with hump backed bridges. There is not much art or architecture to soak in for the traditional tourist but the combination of the sea and especially the excellent seafood, make up for the lack of anything else! The best time to visit Livorno to enjoy a sea-resort vacation is from end June to end August. Bathing establishments along the seacoast made their appearance somewhere in the 19th century and are even today very much in demand because of their traditional warmth and hospitality, as they stand alongside ancient buildings, regal villas and lush vegetation of pine trees among oleander and tamarisks on the seashore.
Livorno has a canal that connects it to Pisa. The capital town situated on marshy land is called the Little Venice because of the many picturesque canals that wind their way through the town.
The history of Livorno can be traced back to 891 in a document that mentions a cathedral that stood in the town. Much credit goes to the Pisans of the 13th century for bringing trade and prosperity to the region. They recognized the strategic importance of the town and tried to exploit the advantages of the port facilities in Livorno by developing them and making the harbor good enough to compete with Porto Pisano. The real rise in the fortunes of the town was seen alongside the peak of success of the Medici rule. They took great interest in the welfare of this town. It was planned as an ideal town, as one can see from the still navigable Medicean canals, port and lookout towers and fortresses that stand today. To make trade flourish, people of the East and West, from neighboring Spain, Greece, Germany and Turkey were invited to Livorno by Ferdinand I, Grand Duke of Tuscany and commerce amongst them encouraged. Even exiled English Catholics made their home here. Ferdinand made it a free port in 1618 and welcomed people of all religious and political hues to take up residence in Livorno – the Jews, Greeks and the Moors came too, after they were driven out of Spain. It was good-humoredly alleged that Leghorn was the “mistress’ of Ferdinand, as he showered so many favors on it in order to coax the town flourish!
In 1691 Ferdinado II declared Livorno a neutral port through an international treaty, after the English and French bombarded the Dutch troops stationed at the Livorno port but in 1796 Bonaparte violated this truce, invaded Livorno and caused great harm to the town’s commerce by creating what he called the “Continental Blockade”. There were more bad days in wait for Livorno when the Tuscan revolution took root on its soil in 1848, resulting in untold unrest..
In 1860 when it became a part of the Italian Kingdom, the decline of this little prosperous town became even swifter. Just a few years earlier to this merger a new port was constructed in 1854 and even today the importance of a Leghorn as a harbor in Tuscany is only outranked by Genoa and Naples.
It has become today not only an important center for tourism but also a hub for industrial and commercial activity. Various commodities like refined petroleum, iron, steel, chemicals, machinery, ships, electrical equipment, vehicles are from local manufacturing units. The town boasts of many shipyards and its fishing industry needs particular mention in its contribution to the local economy.
The population of the town stood at 78,308 and 96,528 of the commune at the last count. On one side of the city is the sea and on the other is a range of hills, most popular among the peaks being Monte Nero that is connected by a funicular railway to the plains. A pilgrimage church, several villas and hotels dot the heights of this hill and are served by the railway track for tourists to conveniently journey to and fro.
Among the important landmarks in the place is the prestigious Naval Academy that was built in 1881 to train officers of the Italian Navy. It stands out prominently amidst the several teaching institutions found in Livorno. An ancient observatory that dates back to the 19th century, many galleries that exhibit ancient samples of art and a museum with interesting Etruscan and Roman artifacts of great historical significance are a must for every tourist keen to learn about the culture of the local people.
Not to be missed is the 100 year-old race course, the Caprilli where racing seasons that matter, are often hosted. If you wish to have a wonderful birds eye view of some of the islands of the Tuscan region, then Terrazza Mascagni deserves a visit. One can feast on the beauty of distant Corsica, Elba, Capraia and Gorgona from there.
The imposing 16th century fort Fortezza Vecchia stands guard at the harbor. Also to be seen here is a piece of renaissance art in the statue of Quattro Mori in front of the crowded waterfront road at Piazza Micheli. A bronze statue of Ferdinando with four chained moors, sculpted by Pietro Tacca (1623) probably depicting the subordination of African slaves under the Medici euphoria of victory over North African shipping also stands close by. Many have expressed shock at this aberration in a town so well known for its multiracial tolerance from the past.
The 16th century cathedral, Sanctuary of Montenero at Piazza di Montenero, dedicated to the patron of Tuscany, Madonna of the Graces was built where an oratory stood.
Several other ancient churches of great architectural beauty can also be visited in Livorno and appreciated from the historic and artistic point of view
Similarly one can see many cemeteries that have stood from the ages, each representing the various people of different nationalities, who flocked to Livorno during its golden era.
A very popular part of Livorno, is Venezia district where Fortezza Nuova stands surrounded by a network of canals. Dilapidated tenements dot the place and its difficult to believe this very is overnight transformed and place bubbles to life in August when the free street carnival of jazz and world music takes place!
Livorno has been the seat of a bishopric. In 1805, Pius VII created the Episcopal see and the first bishop was Fillipo Canucc. There are 32 parishes with at least 170,000 members, as well as 9 seminaries for men and 12 convents for women. In addition to this there exist Christian educational institutions separately for boys and girls
Jews as a religious group occupied a special place among the foreign settlers of Livorno during the rule of Ferdinand I. They were given full freedom to practice their religion, pardoned of any crimes they committed earlier, accorded full citizenship of their adopted country, permitted to own landed property, transact business without any fear and even employ Christian servants. They were not expected to wear badges that proclaimed them to be Jews nor were they isolated in ghettos, as in many other countries as was the practice at that time. In other words they were treated well and this proved to be very attractive to the community, making them come in droves to settle in Livorno to carry on their trade. They used Spanish and Portuguese languages to conduct business and the community thrived till the 18th century. So much so, the Jews were the largest group, amongst the outsiders who came to Livorno, to make it their new home. By the year 1765, the Jewish merchants had established such a strong hold over the local economy that one third of it was controlled by them. Their reputation spread, as did their trade outside Italy to the extent that King Louis XIV, King of France sought to tempt them to leave Livorno and settle at Marseilles instead to carry on their business.
This glorious period of trade suddenly came to an end after Napoleon invaded Livorno. Though many Jews shrewdly supported the French military and even paid for their arms, their special status as a community, started to be withdrawn. After Tuscany was merged with the Kingdom of Italy, stiff trade among rival ports completely isolated the earlier players on the scene, the Jews in particular. The population started to leave, resulting in just 2,500 Jews in Livorno by the 19th century.
Some of the prominent people who belonged to Livorno were, Francesco Domineco, a writer and politician ( 1801-1873), Giovanni Fattori, ( 1825-1908) an artist whose works are still preserved in a museum by his name; Pietro Mascagni, musician (1864-1945); Dario Niccodemi, playright ( 1874-1934).
Livorno is approximately 82km from Florence, 20km from Pisa, 40km from Lucca and 115 from Siena.
Other places of tourist interest around Livorno are, Bolgheri, Castagneto, San Vincenzo, Campiglia Maritimma, Suvereto, Populonia |
