Itinerary 4 |
The Seafront |
Orlando Shipyard, Scoglio della Regina, Terrazza Mascagni, Bagni Pancaldi e Acquaviva, San Jacopo in Acquaviva, Naval Academy, Ardenza, Viale di Antignano, Baracchina Azzurra
This is a lovely walk – you can either go on foot or by bike (about 7 kilometres) – accompanied by the sound and briny smell of the sea, lapping up the sun, which rarely fails to shine. You can either meander along the seaside path, beyond the gardens, or proceed along the pavement of Viale Italia (formerly Passeggiata dei Cavalleggeri, then Viale Regina Margherita). Along the way, you’ll see numerous cafes, called “baracchine” (shacks, kiosks) by the locals, ideal for grabbing a coffee, ice-cream or snack.
We start in the square named after Luigi Orlando, the historic entrepreneur who ran the now transformed Orlando Shipyard (1865), which brought considerable work and wealth to Livorno. Following the seafront south, on the right you’ll see an imposing yellow-ochre building, the old Squarci bathing establishment (1846), commonly known as the Scoglio della Regina [Queen’s Rock]. It got this name because on this part of the coast, in Napoleonic times, Maria Luisa of Bourbon, Queen of Etruria, was wont to bathe here, away from prying eyes, in a tub that had been specially carved out of the rock (1806). In 2017, a new building of Rationalist inspiration was added to the nineteenth-century structure (now a Research Centre for marine technologies). After the little Nazario Sauro harbour, the promenade opens up into a huge space (formerly the Spianata dei Cavalleggeri). In this area, we find the recently refurbished Aquarium of Livorno.
Then we encounter the vast chequerboard paving of the surreal Terrazza Mascagni (1925) with its stunning balustrade overlooking the sea and its Gazebo, built in 1935 for open-air concerts. Across the road looms the imposing edifice of the Grand Hotel Palazzo (1884), restored to its ancient splendour in 2008. In the late nineteenth century, the hotel counted among its guests illustrious figures such as the King and Queen of Italy, the Kaiser and the Duke of Aosta, as well as politicians and writers. We suggest a cocktail on the beautiful roof terrace of the hotel, possibly in the early evening, to be enjoyed as you gaze at the stunning Livorno sunset.
Then you’ll pass the famous Bagni Pancaldi and Acquaviva lidos, opened in the 1840s. The latter bathing establishment (formerly named Palmieri) was immortalised by Giovanni Fattori in his remarkable oil painting, Rotonda di Palmieri (Palazzo Pitti, Florence), one of the masterpieces of nineteenth-century Italian art.
The next stop is Piazza San Jacopo in Acquaviva [St James in the Living Water], so called because in ancient times a spring of fresh, cool water flowed out of the ground there, close to the church. The Church is of the nineteenth century, but it was built on a site of religious significance: the hermitage of St James (Eremo di San Jacopo), dating back thousands of years. A visit to the medieval crypt is much recommended. Next to the church stands the monument to Pietro Leopoldo by Domenico Andrea Pelliccia (1774).
Further along the promenade, we encounter the main entrance to the Naval Academy, founded in 1881 by the Minister for the Navy, Admiral Benedetto Brin. The Academy, where officers of the Italian Navy are trained, is a huge complex comprising several buildings, the main one being the one with the clock-tower (1881). Proceeding along the road, bordered by the striking green railings that surround the Academy, we see the Barriera named after Queen Margherita (1890), two symmetrical structures on opposite sides of the street, once closed by a barrier, hence the name. It marked the limit of the city and was a gate to the sea, where a toll was payable.
Opposite the Academy stand charming villas in a variety of architectural styles, including late-Liberty [Italian Art Nouveau style, named after the London store] and Moorish – this type of eclectic design was very fashionable in Livorno between the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth. After the row of villas, you’ll see a wide green area: the Federico Caprilli Hippodrome (1894), a lively haunt of socialites in the early twentieth century and still quite popular in the second half of the century, but now unfortunately closed.
Further on, we glimpse the open sea again, a beach and then the lido, Bagni Fiume. Now we are in Ardenza Mare, with its little harbour and the Baracchina Rossa, a cafe much in vogue in the early decades of the twentieth century (previously on the site was the Chalet Alhambra), where the “in-crowd” of the day stopped to sample an ice-cream called the Sarah Bernhardt, made of chocolate and zabaglione, the recipe for which has been lost.
Then, across the road, we have an impressive Neoclassical omega-shaped building, the Casini d’Ardenza, designed by Giuseppe Cappellini (1844) to accommodate guests of the Grand Duke who accompanied him on his summer sojourns at the bathing stations of Livorno. We pass two more lidos, Bagni Pejani and Bagni Lido, and reach the Rotonda, or Rotunda, a wide piazza surrounding a pine grove, opening on to a beach. This marked the end of the horse or carriage ride in the nineteenth century. But you aren’t stopping here, you’re heading for Antignano, or even further.
Go past the Tre Ponti [Three Bridges] (in actual fact, there are five bridges, but don’t let that bother you! The old name from when there were three has lingered on). You’ll hit Hotel Universal, formerly Villa Campari and then Villa Chayes, built in the late nineteenth century on the site of an old cottage – it’s the only building on the sea side of Viale di Antignano. Across the road, you can admire a series of beautiful villas, including one that belonged to Pietro Mascagni and the spectacular Villa Menicanti. Once this expanse of open countryside, with only a few farmhouses, between Ardenza and Antignano, called La Banditella, was one of the favourite spots for the Macchiaioli and post-Macchiaioli artists who pained en plein air.
Flanking the sea, you’ll find plenty of beaches, easily accessed, all the way to the Castle of Antignano, which is now split up into private residences. This small fortress, out of which a rampart still projects, was built in 1567 at the behest of Cosimo I to defend the coast from pirates. Another bathing establishment, Bagni Roma, was once reserved for the fortress’s garrison. Next to this is the quaint and still active Harbour of Antignano.
If you’ve still got any energy left for walking, you can go a bit further along the promenade, amid more villas and apartment blocks, as far as the cafe, the Baracchina Azzurra. There’s a bus stop there – if you’re too exhausted, you can catch a bus back into town. If you’re a keen walker, simply do an about turn and take the same route back.
If you have your own transport, we recommend continuing the tour down the coast following the route of the Via Aurelia and the beautiful coastline from Antignano to Castiglioncello (about 15 kilometres). If it’s a warm, sunny day, a dip in the sea at Boccale, Calafuria, Cala del Leone or Quercianella will be an unforgettable experience, though sometimes it’s a bit tricky clambering down the rocks to get to the sea!
If you’ve still got any energy left for walking, you can go a bit further along the promenade, amid more villas and apartment blocks, as far as the cafe, the Baracchina Azzurra. There’s a bus stop there – if you’re too exhausted, you can catch a bus back into town. If you’re a keen walker, simply do an about turn and take the same route back.
If you have your own transport, we recommend continuing the tour down the coast following the route of the Via Aurelia and the beautiful coastline from Antignano to Castiglioncello (about 15 kilometres). If it’s a warm, sunny day, a dip in the sea at Boccale, Calafuria, Cala del Leone or Quercianella will be an unforgettable experience, though sometimes it’s a bit tricky clambering down the rocks to get to the sea!