A great maritime city, Tuscany's largest port and its third largest city after Florence and Prato,
Livorno looks out over the Tyrrhenian seaside, just south of the alluvial plain of the Arno River. The city is surrounded to the east by densely wooded hills. The city was marked by great social and political upheavals and was heavily damaged during the last World War. Much evidence of its long artistic history has survived today. One such example is the Fortezza Vecchia, already standing when the city was founded by the
Buontalenti, that dominates the Medici port.
Along the way we find two significant examples of religious architecture: the Baroque
church of San Frediano and
Santa Caterina, also known as the "Chiesa dei Domenicani". Not to be missed is the charming neigh-bourhood of Venezia Nuova, made up of a 17th-century group of roads, canals, bridges and blocks that represent the real marine and fishing heart of the city.
Taking via De Larderel, we reach
Cisternone, a beautiful example of Neoclassical architecture. A visit to the city would not be complete without a tour of the
Piazza Grande, also known as "del Duomo" and the 16th-century basilica. The great cathedral is preceded by a colonnaded arcade, surmounted by a terrace and decorated on the ceiling by three important 17th-century canvases.
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