The city of Livorno was founded on the shore of the Ligurian sea by the Pisans. For quite a long time, Livorno used to be just a reinforced settlement, but at the time of Cozimo I Medici (1519-1574) it turned into one of the most important ports of the entire Mediterranean area.
Livorno is remarkable for its extraordinary cultural mixtures. First of all, it can be explained by the law of religious tolerance, which was adopted here in 1593. No doubt, it was an exceptional case for Catholic Italy. As a result, Livorno attracted people of different cultures. An Orthodox cemetery remained intact as a sign of that period. It is located close to a Greek church, where the outstanding Russian poet-symbolist and interpretor Viacheslav Ivanov married his second wife in 1899.
The spacious Square of the Republic (Piazza della Republica) is one of the Livorno attractions. You can start here a walking tour down Via Granda street, which is decorated with an elegant arcade and is the main shopping center, to Michael Square (Piazza Micheli). Here it is worth to spend some time examining the Cathedral of the XVI century and the monument to Ferdinand I.
The district of New Venice is located between the Old Fortress and the New Fortress. Its residents hold weeks-long festivals, which begin on the first August weekend. Guests can relax body and mind here as music sounds everywhere, cultural events are organized and exquisite food is sold.
There are a lot of villas with astonishing gardens of exotic plants around them in the city district of San Jacopo. A public park, an aquarium and sport grounds are located near bathing-huts.
Livorno is a hometown of two outstanding Italian artists, Giovanni Fattori and Amedeo Modigliani. The whole life of Fattori was closely-knit with Tuscany, while Modigliani spent most of his creative years in France. Fabricotti, a Livorno villa, houses the Fattori museum. Its collection includes not only the masterpieces of this famous representative of the “Macchiaioli” school, but also works of other painters.
