Livorno, Italy. It is a fairly large port city on the
Western coast of Tuscany. Today, ships
of every shape and size can be seen on any given day. But Livorno has been a major Mediterranean port for
centuries, and it also served as the main port of Florence for three of those
centuries.
The ship I work on goes to Livorno
rather regularly, seeing as how the city is the gateway for Lucca, Florence,
and Pisa. Livorno also boasts many
good Wi-Fi spots. Trust me on
this: all crew members crave good Wi-Fi, so it’s not uncommon for us to have a
day where we go out and find a good source of Wi-Fi.
I have usually treated Livorno
either as a gateway city or a Wi-Fi city, never giving it due credit. Today was different. This was to be my last time in Italy
for a long time. Perhaps
permanently. After being in
Livorno a dozen or so times, I still hadn’t explored much of the city. I wanted to make the most of my last
time in Italy, to see what makes Livorno “Livorno.” I was not expecting the day to grant me such a level of serendipity.
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Piazza Grande, Livorno |
The main downtown road, Via
Grande, cuts through the city straight from the port. Once I reached the Piazza Grande, I sat down for a nice
Italian pizza (it was a good size for only 6.80 Euros) and a creamy, smooth
cappuccino that really hit the spot with its flavor. I mean, hey; my last time in Italy needed these things. Anyway,
there are many good restaurants on this road, but I do recommend Ristorante
Napoletana in the Piazza Grande.
If you’re looking to save some money but want a lot of variety
(especially for pizza), then this is the place to be.
After lunch, I decided to go south,
the only direction in Livorno I had never went.
In five minutes or so I found myself
at a canal.
The sunny day
punctuated the gleam of the water and the colors of the buildings. I had seen another canal before, near the
Piazza Del Repubblica. I wish I
had followed that one, to see where it would lead, and how far. This canal, however…something about it
was wonderfully similar to the canals of St. Petersburg. How strange to think that in Italy. Ahh, how the mind works....
So I passed down the street,
admiring the interesting sights on every block.
I don't know what these two names are, but I did enjoy the picture. |
The canal, winding its way under the street. |
I absolutely love umbrella pines. If I can, someday I'll plant one in my (future) yard! |
As I neared the end of the street,
the hills of Tuscany could be seen lazily touching the sky in the heat of the
afternoon.
But there was another part of me
that was solid in the belief of common sense and my present circumstances; of
course I couldn’t just rent a car and leave. And I had had some things to take of onboard the ship in the
morning, so I could not have left early anyway. My purpose was clear by now. Here I was, about to walk back toward the ocean, toward a
part of Livorno I had never walked.
After passing down this road along
the ocean, I saw a large building pop into view, albeit it discreetly.
At first I was confused, for I thought I was seeing a big,
open area from afar. I walked across the street, eager to find out what was here. Once I past the building, I was taken aback in a lovely way.
Up until this point, trees and such along the road were
in the way of what was really there; a gigantic promenade-terrace, expanding to
what seemed like the horizon.
What
a brilliant display; what a layout of expansive but humble beauty. It was so much more than I was
expecting, and serendipitous indeed.
This place is called Terraza
Mascagni, after the famous composer Pietro Mascagni, born in Livorno. Before then, from 1892-1918 this area
had been the Eden, a great, permanent fairground. I do believe this ferris wheel is still here to remember
those days.
It had become a public space in
1928 after a few years of reconstruction.
By then it named after Constanzo Ciano, the Fascist party leader. During WWII the area was bombed, as was
the aquarium. The area was rebuilt
into its present look and renamed “Terraza Mascagni” in 1945, after the war.
Not only was I so surprised by
this gorgeous place, but I was also feeling calm. I felt at peace here, walking along the checkered pavement
that seemed to bend playfully in my vision, and that stretched out to the the
water’s edge. No matter where I
looked, I was both enamored and calmed by scenery either drenched in sunlight
or shadow.
Eventually it dawned on me; I
needed to make my way back to the ship, down the road to the port. Reluctantly I made my way past the
aquarium before stealing a few more glances back upon the terrace.
I turned toward the intersection, heavy
with that feeling of saying farewell.
And quickly enough I noticed a gelateria across the street. I thought, “well…this is my last day in Italy.” My Italian day was not finished,
apparently.
The gelateria is called Caprilli
Gelateria Naturale.
This was probably some of the best
gelato I’ve had…period. The flavors were perfect, and the
gelato itself was almost elastic.
Here’s the best part; three scoops for 2.80 euros. Only
2.80. That’s a damn good
deal. Caprilli Gelateria is
definitely a place to seek out along the waterfront of Livorno.
As I walked the road back to the
ship, I was thinking about how much I’d taken Livorno for granted. I’ve always let my mind define it as
something other than a city to explore extensively. And I felt a little guilty about that after seeing Terraza
Mascagni and the canals. After
all, these places lifted my spirits high.
I wish they had done it sooner.
Still, overall, I felt I was giving Italy the fondest of farewells.
Let this story show that even if
you have been somewhere many times, there is always something new to see.
Even in our own hometowns we take things for granted. That church or park you have always
past, but never accosted. Or that
shopping plaza that is run-down and near unnoticeable, but could actually
provide you with something special.
Or perhaps that non-descript local market where people come and go. Big things can be hidden, waiting for
us to perceive them even in the most familiar haunts. We just need to pick a certain
direction, or location, and go.
I researched a bit into the
history of the city, and I discovered things about Livorno that lifted my
spirits as much as my day did. I
will summarize the history here, but go to this great site for more
detail. You’ll have to open
multiple tabs for each section, but it is a perfect guide to Livorno’s history
nonetheless.
The port had long been established
before Livorno was bought by the city-state of Florence in the 15th
century. Once that happened, the
Medici family came in, developed the town into a city, and before long Livorno
became not only the main port of Florence, but also a main port for the whole
Mediterranean.
After the Medici dynasty came to
an end in 1737, Livorno came under the hand of the Austrian Dukes of
Lorraine. Decades later, Napolean
invaded Livorno three times in four years (1796-1800). His purpose was twofold: first, he
wanted to plunder the wealth of the British community in the city, and second,
he wanted to ruin Livorno’s commerce in order that the port of Marseilles could
take a competitive edge. After
Napolean’s dispersal, the Dukes of Lorraine were restored to power. They built and extended the city even
further.
Livorno has also been a
cosmopolitan city since the time of the Medicis. A decade before the 17th century, laws were
passed to encourage settlement and population growth in the city. Jews fleeing persecution in Spain and
Portugal settled in Livorno. The
Jewish population came to be the dominant foreign community in the city, but
Greek, Dutch, British, French, and Armenian communities soon developed, too. It is in this way that Livorno became a
unique city in Italy for its liberalism, multiculturalism, and the way in which
each foreign community functioned within the city.
The port area of Livorno was
heavily expanded starting in 1865.
Gradually it became an industrial port, and at the turn of the 20th
century the port started generating worldwide acclaim for its military and
commercial shipbuilding. Today
Livorno still maintains its status as one of the major ports of the
Mediterranean.
Disclaimer:
I do not intend to speak on behalf of Azamara Club Cruises. As an employee of Azamara Club Cruises, I hereby state that all views and expressions of opinion I hold are solely my own, and do not reflect or represent the views, values, beliefs, opinions, or company policies of ether Azamara Club Cruises or Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Additionally I neither own nor claim any legal rights to the links provided in this post.
Additionally I neither own nor claim any legal rights to the links provided in this post.
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