Livorno Holidays @ Livorno @ The harbour of Tuscany
Holidays in Livorno
Livorno
`s origin is uncertain. In documents dating back to 904, the name "Livorna" designates a small fishing town situated in a natural cove of the Tyrrhenian coast, just a few kilometers south of the mouth of the Arno. The villages was ruled by
Pisa Between the 13th and the 14th century, the village, which was becoming increasingly important thanks to the progressive burial of Porto Pisano, was fortified and a lighthouse, known as "Fanale dei Pisani", was built.
With the fall of the Republic of
Pisa Livorno was sold first to the Visconti, ruling Milan, and then to Genua. In 1421, it was sold to
Florence In the 16th the Medici family contributed to the development of
Livorno which granted a coastal outlet to
Florence The so-called "Leggi Livornine" that ruled between 1590 and 1603 favoured the demographic development of the town. The laws granted religious freedom. Tax and customs exemptions were also introduced and a far-sighted building program was launched.
During the Napoleonic period the British and the French ruled
Livorno and in 1815 the town entered the Grand-Dukedom of
Tuscany In 1859
Livorno requested to be annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. With the unification of Italy, the city lost the status of free port. Thanks to the building of the first beach establishments, it became one of the first seaside resorts in Europe.
During World War II the bombings destroyed most of Livorno`s historical center. However, the historical quarters, with their channels and the fortified walls, the narrow streets of the
rione Venezia, the towers and fortresses still witness Livorno`s Renaissance soul.
Many important artists were born in Livorno: the painters Giovanni Fattori (1825-1908), Stefano De Tivoli (1826-1892) and Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) and the composer Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945), to who the famous Terrazza Mascagni is dedicated.
