Itinerary 1 |
Early Livorno |
Old Fortress, Old Harbour, Four Moors Monument, Medici Harbour
In the Middle Ages, the obscure little village of Livorno, adjacent to the Porto Pisano, belonged to the Republic of Pisa, which after its defeat in the Battle of Meloria (1284), was forced to cede it to Genoa, who sold it to Florence more than a century later, in 1421. There are no traces left of these remote times or of that village-castle in Livorno, apart from the remains of the Quadratura dei Pisani [Square Citadel] and the imposing Keep of Matilde of Canossa, embedded in the Fortezza Vecchia (1534).The Fortezza Vecchia [Old Fortress] is the symbol of the city, along with the Four Moors Monument. It is the oldest construction in Livorno and dates from the sixteenth century, when the Medici began to implement the conversion of the existing castle, to provide defence for the nascent harbour. The sturdy fortress, which was once separated from the mainland and surrounded by sea, is asymmetrical in layout and is made up of three bastions: the Ampolletta, facing the town, the Canaviglia, facing the Medici Harbour, and the Capitana, oriented north-east.
The construction of the fort, built according to a design by the renowned military architect Antonio da Sangallo the Elder, commenced in 1519 and ended under the rule of Duke Alessandro de’ Medici in 1534.
The construction of the fort, built according to a design by the renowned military architect Antonio da Sangallo the Elder, commenced in 1519 and ended under the rule of Duke Alessandro de’ Medici in 1534.
Then Duke Cosimo I, who often visited Livorno, commissioned a residence for himself and his court above the Quadratura dei Pisani (1546) and had a spacious building made for his entourage opposite the Fortress: the Palazzo Mediceo with its elegant facade, which today houses the “G. Russo” Barracks of the Finance Police.
His son, Grand Duke Francesco I, had the Palazzo facing the harbour added (1580), as well as a chapel dedicated to St Frances. It was in this chapel in 1606 that Ferdinando I was to elevate Livorno to the status of City.
The heavy bombing of the Second World War wreaked considerable damage on the Fortress, destroying Cosimo I’s palace, although the enclosing walls have remained almost totally intact.
The charming Darsena Vecchia, or Old Harbour, between the Fortress and Piazza Micheli, was reportedly constructed in only five days: on the orders of Ferdinando I, no less than five thousand men worked on it day and night without interruption. It was the first Medici port and nowadays it serves as mooring area for fishing boats as well as naval units of the Fire Brigade, Coastguards and Finance Police.
Opposite the Harbour there is still a short well-preserved stretch of the hefty Grand-ducal walls, built to protect the city. Today it is embedded in the structure of the Hotel Granduca. Between the bastion and the Harbour stands the monument to Ferdinando I de’ Medici, known as the Four Moors Monument.
His son, Grand Duke Francesco I, had the Palazzo facing the harbour added (1580), as well as a chapel dedicated to St Frances. It was in this chapel in 1606 that Ferdinando I was to elevate Livorno to the status of City.
The heavy bombing of the Second World War wreaked considerable damage on the Fortress, destroying Cosimo I’s palace, although the enclosing walls have remained almost totally intact.
The charming Darsena Vecchia, or Old Harbour, between the Fortress and Piazza Micheli, was reportedly constructed in only five days: on the orders of Ferdinando I, no less than five thousand men worked on it day and night without interruption. It was the first Medici port and nowadays it serves as mooring area for fishing boats as well as naval units of the Fire Brigade, Coastguards and Finance Police.
Opposite the Harbour there is still a short well-preserved stretch of the hefty Grand-ducal walls, built to protect the city. Today it is embedded in the structure of the Hotel Granduca. Between the bastion and the Harbour stands the monument to Ferdinando I de’ Medici, known as the Four Moors Monument.
The Grand Duke, in his capacity as Grand Master of the Knights of St Stephen, had this marble monument erected in his honour to commemorate victories over the Barbary pirates. Established by Cosimo I in 1562, the Naval Order of the Knights of St Stephen, founded to fight against “the Turks”, succeeded in ridding the Livorno coast of pirates. At the time of Ferdinando I, numerous Moorish slaves lived in Livorno, employed in public works and lodging in a building fitted out for them called the “Bagno delle Galere” [slave prison].
The sculptor Giovanni Bandini created the statue of the Grand Duke in 1595. In 1617, the monument was fitted on a pedestal, in the presence of Cosimo II de’ Medici. In 1621 the famous sculptor Pietro Tacca (1577-1640) was tasked with completing the monument by adding the powerful semi-nude figures of the four moors, Barbary pirates chained to the base of the pedestal. It is said that Tacca took the slaves of the Bagno as models.
A stroll around the Medici Harbour is fantastic because of the sheer variety of boats to be seen. The Harbour has always been a fascinating place – you can wander around the docks, inhale the briny, tarry odours, watch the fishermen and the pleasure boats’ crews at work, see the mega-yachts at the Benetti Shipyard, the coming and going of fishing boats and sailing craft, the solemn progress of ferries that link Livorno with the islands, and in the distance the gigantic cruise ships heading for deeper water to dock in, and the beginning of the endless industrial docks. The port facilities, already enhanced under Ferdinando I de’ Medici with the Old Harbour, were substantially expanded under Cosimo II de’ Medici, with the construction of the Medici Harbour.
The works, supervised by Grand-ducal engineers Claudio Cogorano and Antonio Cantagallina (while RobertDudley was to contribute his input with regard to currents and tides), involved the construction of a new breakwater parallel to the coastline (Braccio Ferdinando [Ferdinando’s Arm] or Andana degli Anelli), then the Braccio Cosimo, “arm” projected towards the Navigation Light, and finally a third arm that ends at the Forte del Molo, closing off the quay. The entire harbour is surrounded by sturdy ramparts, linked with the fortifications of the town. Our walk takes us over the bridge, then, after passing the Harbour Barrier we come to the Andana degli Anelli. At this point, as we turn left, everything becomes quieter and more attractive, as we cross the swing bridge, skirt the ramparts and, if we look out towards the open sea, we glimpse to the left the evocative outline of the fourteenth-century Torre del Fanale [Lighthouse Tower], which was reconstructed after the War in strict compliance with the original model; to the right the outline (1,130 metres) of the Diga Curvilinea [Curvilinear Breakwater] (1858), with its two lanterns, also called the “Molo Novo”, and then the Diga della Meloria, which protects the outer harbour. We head towards the Medici wharf and proceed right to the tip, where the Harbour Pilots and Maritime Advisory Service are based. These offices face directly onto the mouth of the harbour, allowing 24/7 control of all craft arriving and leaving and enabling the relevant maritime bodies and authorities to be notified as required. We go up the short staircase that nowadays leads to the Livorno Yacht Club to have a look at the delightful expanse of open sea and the hustle of boats.