If you think of the cities of Tuscany, Livorno may not immediately spring to mind. With “rivals” like Florence, Siena and Pisa, it couldn’t be more difficult to stand out!
Yet, the quaint port city that the great Amedeo Modigliani once called home has a lot to say and to show to its visitors. Its history is tied with that of Tuscany’s most notable family, the Medicis who, in the 16th century, transformed a small fishermen’s village built around the Mastio di Matilde di Canossa, Matilde of Canossa’s fortress, into one of the most important ports of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Here, in Livorno, cultures, religions and ethnicities mingled, just like it would happen, later in history and some miles up North, in Hapsburgical Trieste.
Livorno is a city of water: her elegant buildings find reflection in her many canals, crossed here and there by beautifully crafted bridges: Livornese people like to think of their home as a Venezia sul Mediterraneo, a little Venice by the Mediterranean. Indeed, you can even take a tour of the city by boat, and travel through its many canals, just like you would do in La Serenissima.
Everything in town has to do with the sea and how it fashioned local traditions – food included, of course – history, culture and art. And let’s not forget that it was here that, in the 19th century, the first stabilimenti balneari, a true icon of Italy, were born.
Livorno offers plenty of things to see, do and eat.
You can enjoy the view of the sea from Terrazza Mascagni, which often appears, with its white and black checkered floors, in photos of the city. By the port, Livorno’s quintessence, you can marvel at the Fortezza Vecchia, the old fortress, where the original Mastio di Matilde di Canossa still stands. There is also, at the very heart of the town’s historic center, a Fortezza Nuova, joined to the port through canals. Livorno’s main place of cult is its Cathedral, which is dedicated to Saint Francis and that was partially destroyed by bombings during the Second World War and restored after the end of the conflict. All art lovers out there will certainly enjoy a visit to the Museo Civico Giovanni Fattori, which hosts works of Tuscan painters from the 19th and early 20th century.
Livorno has some serious musical pedigree, too, as it is the birthplace of Pietro Mascagni, honored, along with others, in the Museo Mascagnano at the Teatro Goldoni. And because of its multi-cultural heritage, Livorno also offers interesting insights into other cultures, with the Yeshiva Marini Museum of Jewish culture, and the Museo di Santa Giulia, dedicated to Armenian culture. Architecture lovers will certainly enjoy a walk in the Ardenza borough of the city, just behind the port, with its many liberty (the Italian version of Art Nouveau) homes.
As you would expect in a city that grew around commerce and cultural mixing, Livorno is also known for its historic market, the Mercato delle Vettovaglie, which is among the largest and oldest in Europe.
The step from markets to food is very short…
Livorno is home to some very popular dishes and drinks. For instance, have you ever heard about cacciucco? And what about Galliano liqueur? Cacciucco is a fish stew with a history that probably started some 500 years ago when the fishermen of Livorno would use unsold fish to make themselves a meal. If you want to make a real cacciucco, you must use five different types of fish in it, one for each “C” in its name; in it, you’ll usually find octopus, squid – or cuttlefish – mussels, prawns and monkfish, all flavored with extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, and white wine. For the best culinary experience, you should always accompany it with some slices of thick homemade bread.
If you’re after the perfect aperitivo Made in Livorno, look no further than Galliano. You may be familiar with its elegant, cone-shaped bottle, filled with its yellow, aromatic liqueur. Galliano was created in 1896 by Arturo Vaccari, a Livorno brandy distiller, who gave a twist to popular anise-based tipples (think of Pernod, Pastis, or Sambuca) by adding vanilla. Among the other ingredients of this famous, and somehow trendy, drink we find Chinese and Mediterranean anise, musk yarrow, juniper, cinnamon, lavender, ginger and peppermint. While many use it as a digestivo because of how aromatic it is, it can also become an interesting ingredient for aperitivo cocktails, like the Harvey Wallbanger.
Culinary blog FoodAtlas also mentioned a ponce livornese, a type of punch invented in the city sometime in the 17th century, made with a hot concoction of rum, sugar and lemon zest, to which coffee is then added. Legends say that it was an Italian take on the “punch” British sailors made popular in town back in the 1600s, but the coffee gave it a truly Italian allure.
Interestingly, the first recipes for ponce livornese underlined the importance of not using high-quality rum, because it could be too strong; rather, low quality rumme, a mix of alcohol, dark caramel and sugar, should have been preferred.
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