Livorno (Tuscany): what to see in 1 day


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What to see in Livorno, one-day itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including Terrazza Mascagni, the Old Fortress and the Monument of the four Moors.


Tourist information

Livorno is a city in Tuscany, as well as an important tourist and commercial port.

The origins of the city date back to 1577, when Francesco I de 'Medici had the new built built as an ideal Renaissance city, entrusting the project to Bernardo Buontalenti, near an ancient Pisan castle-village that the Medici Lordship had bought from the Genoese in 1421, and where already Cosimo the Elder, following the cover-up of Porto Pisano, had begun work on the construction of the new port, while Antonio da Sangallo il Vecchio, on behalf of the Florentine Republic, had already designed a large fortress on the sea, which was built in 1534, after the return of the Medici to Florence.


The pentagonal plan of the city was realized with the construction of a new fortification surrounded by a moat that delimited a new and wider urban area, thus obtaining a larger fortified city with a equipped port, located in a strategic position for trade between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, in particular between London and the countries of the Levant area.

At this point in Livorno only the inhabitants were missing, so the Grand Duke of Tuscany already from 1589 granted tax exemptions to all those who were involved in the construction of the new city.

Subsequently, with the famous constitution of 1593, which encouraged immigration, full freedom of residence was granted to people of any race and religion, thus laying the foundations for a cosmopolitan city.


In 1676, to further favor the development of the city was the concession of the free port which greatly increased trade, at least until the end of the eighteenth century.

What see

The port of Livorno is today among the most important in the Mediterranean and the main in Tuscany.

After the bombings suffered by the city during the Second World War, not much remains of ancient, however, the two fortresses, old fortress and new fortress, are clearly visible, as well as the Venice district, built in the seventeenth century and so called because it was obtained from an area removed to the sea and crossed by canals and bridges.


Piazza Grande is located in the heart of the Medici nucleus, surrounded by arcaded buildings and the Cathedral dedicated to San Francesco.

The square offers a beautiful perspective view of the Fortezza Nuova and the Venezia Nuova district, as well as the Fosso Reale.

Recommended readings
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  • Tuscany: Sunday day trips

The famous monument of the Quattro Mori, located in Piazza Micheli, is a sculpture representing Ferdinando I De 'Medici placed on a pedestal, with four Moors chained in bronze at the base.

The Mascagni Terrace, located on the Livorno seafront, is a beautiful Liberty-style belvedere, bordered by a balustrade of marble columns, and paved with black and white checkerboard tiles.

Do not miss the Giovanni Fattori Civic Museum which is located in Villa Mimbelli, a private residence of the nineteenth century which became a museum.

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