Livorno travel guide - Things to do and see in Livorno, Tuscany
Itinerary Livorno: Sightseeing tours - bike tours - day tours - wine tours  

Livorno or Leghorn is the capital of the correspondent Italian province Livorno in the region Tuscany. The city with about 161.206 inhabitants (as of December 31st, 2011) is located at the Tyrrhenian Sea. Livorno has one of the largest harbors of Italy. Livorno is also sometimes referred to as Leghorn in English. 

 

Holiday in Livorno or Tuscany countryside

The Coast line of Tuscany offers many splendid white beaches. A guide to Tuscany's best beaches with reviews and what to do when you're there, chosen by our local experts.

 

Our portfolio of hand picked rental villas with pool, holiday houses, romantic country houses and cottages, apartments or rooms for rent with a view in Tuscany offers you authentic, charming and private accommodation for a unique holiday experience.

 

No matter if you favor family holidays, beach holidays, golf holidays, luxury holidays or a pet friendly accommodation, we have the best private rentals in Tuscany available for you!

 

Things to see in Lovorno, Tuscany

  • Monumento ai quattro Mori – The „monument of the 4 blackamoors“ is the landmark of the city.
  • Fortezza Vecchia – A fort near the old Medici port (built 1521–1534)
  • Mastio di Matilde, a cylindric watch tower built around the year 1077
  • Duomo San Francesco di Assisi – The cathedral of Livorno is located in center of the old town right at the Piazza Grande. 
  • The Cisternone and the Cisternino, two large reservoirs in a neoclassical style 

Check our insider's travel guide to Livorno, featuring the best Events of Livorno, Night Live of Livorno and sightseeing tours to discover the stunning landmarks, markets, churches, museums and monuments of Livorno Tuscany

 

Typical cuisine of Livorno, Tuscany

Indulge your passion for Italian food or life style on a cookery holiday combined with language courses in Livorno Tuscany and enjoy our hands-on cooking lessons and cookery courses in Tuscany Livorno.

 

The cuisine of the city Livorno is dominated by various fish dishes. The most famous dish is the fish stew “Cacciucco“. Furthermore there are specialties like the “Bordatino” (vegetable stew with polenta), “Riso al nero di sepia” (black risotto with sepia), “Baccalà” and “Stoccafisso” (dried cod). “Triglie alla Livornese“ are red mullets with a tomato sauce spiced with peperoncino.

 

A popular snack is the “Torta di Ceci“, which is sold like Pizza. The “Roschette“(curled pastry) is originally a Jewish Pesah dish. Another typical specialty of the city is the “Ponce alla Livornese”, a strong coffee with rum. 

 

Various DOC wine regions (wines with certificates of origin) stretch across the area of the Etruscan coast like “Bolgheri“, “Val di Cornia” and “Montescudaio”. All of these regions gained international prestige since the 1990s and produce wines like the “Sassicaia” and the ”Ornellaia”. Next to these distinguished wines the region also produces more affordable wines. 

 

Are you planing a day trip to Livorno or to the tuscany countryside? Please check our travel guide for the best restaurants in Livorno, wine tasting courses or selected wine tours discovering the most famous tuscan wineries of the Chianti or the Brunello region guided by a certified Tuscan wine sommelier. 

 

Events of Livorno, Tuscany

The award of the „Accademia navale e Città di Livorno”, an international sailing regatta (end of April). 

 

Oarsmanship competition of the districts of Livorno taking place in the months June and July.

 

On the second Sunday in July the “Palio Marinaro” takes place.

 

The “Effetto Venezia” takes place on the first days of August in the district Venezia Nuova.

 

The fair “Maggio Campigliese“ is organized on the second weekend of May in Campiglia Marittima.

 

On the first Sunday in December the wild boar festivity (Sagra del Cinghiale) with the “Palio delle Botti” and the archers’ tournament takes place in Suvereto. 

 

Things to do in Livorno

The coast and the islands offer the possibility to do various types of watersports.

 

The dense forests and the different nature reserves around Livorno are inviting to go on excursions through nature – enjoy a jovial walk, a hike or a bicycle tour. 

 

For a relaxing spa holiday Livorno offers the Caldana- and S.Giovanni-thermal springs. 

 

Also horseback riding or golfing is possible almost everywhere. In the vicinity you can find various riding stables and golf courts. 

 

Discover the marvelous countryisde of Livorno and Tuscany joining a grape harvest festival or olive harvest festival, taking a bicycile tour in Tuscany visiting one of the nature parks or follow up our tracking itinerary.

 

If you want deeply to relax and re-charge all your energies a Spa journey would be perfect within your Livorno or Tuscan holiday. Tuscany has many natural hot springs. In most towns there is a modern spa where hot springs water is brought into a swimming pool and you pay a daily ticket to use the pool.

 

Beaches of Livorno

The beach region of the province Livorno is called the Etruscan coast (Costa Etrusca), and also known as „Riviera degli Etruschi“(Etruscan Riviera). It is a long coastal area between Piombino and Livorno and a part of the Maremma region, bordering the province Pisa in the north and east, as well as the province Livorno in the south.

 

The Etruscan coast is an especially popular coastal region in Tuscany among Italians and has next to the larger seaports Livorno and Piombino several well-established seaside resorts like e.g. Castiglioncello, Marina di Cecina, Marina di Bibbona, Donoratico, San Vincenzo and Baratti. In the north of the Etruscan coast, at the rocky coast between Livorno and Castiglioncello, you can find many pretty small bays.

 

Starting at the town Vada, the pine forests along the coastline, the landmark of the Etruscan Riviera, stretch along the entire Etruscan coast all the way down south to the town Baratti. The beaches in this region are gentler and fine gravel or sand beaches are inviting you to take walks along the beach and are ideal for families with children. Outside the seaside resorts long free beaches offer, also in summer, enough space and the adjacent pine forests offer shade. The gulf of Baratti is considered to be one of the most picturesque bays of the coast. The adjoining peninsula of Piombino in the south is ideal for diving with its exceptional rock formations.

 

Several seaside resorts were awarded the „Bandiera Blu“, an award that is only granted to clean beaches with clean sea water. Further south is Castiglioncello where you can find wonderful beaches and lovely small bays. The recently reconstructed recreational port Cala De’Medici offers room for 650 boats. 

 

Oddities

Due to the multi-cultural past the inhabitants of Livorno are known to be kind and tolerant. Yet the “Linguaccia Livornese“ - analogous "evil tongue" is known throughout Italy for being pretty outspoken. The nationally known satirical magazine Il Vernacoliere is a perfect example of it.

 

History of Livorno

The old names of the town, Liburna, Liorna, Livorna derive from the Roman war vessel type Liburne according to historical records. The city was first mentioned in 1017 and belonged to the territory of the maritime republic Pisa. Back then the town was just a small fisher village and a defense outpost of the port of Pisa. Between 1518 and 1534 the basin Darsena Vecchia and the fort Fortezza Vecchia were built. 

 

Beginning in 1571, under the rule of the grand dukes Cosimo I. and Francesco I., the town was planned and constructed as the “ideal city”. The result was a city with rectangular constructed streets surrounded by a hexagonal rampart and moats.  In 1675 Livorno was declared a free-harbor, which allowed the economy of the city to prosper for about 200 years. 

 

Livorno was a center for goldsmith’s arts, the processing of coral and the publishing industry. After the annexation of Livorno by Italy the city lost its free-harbor in 1865. In time the economic foundation of the city shifted to industry and tourism. 

 

Economy

The city looks back on a long tradition of shipbuilding, the dockyard Cantiere Navale Orlando was founded in 1865. Today the company Benetti builds mega yachts on the same compound. In the north of the city there is a mineral oil refinery of the Italian enterprise ENI. 

 

Other lines of business are the mechanical industry and car subcontractors.  The naval academy trains officer cadets of the Italian Navy. Famous symbol of the academy is the sailing drill ship Amerigo Vespucci. 

 

Climate

The winter, in particular the months December, January and February, can bring not only cold temperatures but also snow. The second half of February still brings some cold air, mainly in the north. After this period milder temperatures and the sun return to the region. Spring - the months March, April and May are characterized by different air currents that determine the weather.

 

Arrival to Livorno

By car: 

Coming from Milan take the highway A1 to Parma, than change for the highway A15 in direction La Spezia and finally take the highway A 12 to Livorno. Coming from Rome take the highway A 12 Rome – Civitavecchia and continue on the freeway E 80 to Livorno. Coming from Florence take the freeway Florence-Pisa-Livorno all the way to the center of Livorno. Coming from Bologna take the A1 to Florence-Signa and then continue on the freeway Florence-Pisa-Livorno to reach the center of Livorno.

 

By train: 

Livorno is located at the railway line Rome-Genoa with numerous trains in both directions. On the line Livorno-Florence run also many direct trains. The trip takes about 90 minutes. Time tables can be found in the internet at www.trenitalia.it.

 

By airplane:  

The next airport is the international airport Pisa Galileo Galilei (PSA). A bus takes you to the main train station from Pisa. Here connection trains to Livorno depart. An alternative is flying to Florence or Rome Fiumicino and take the train from there to Livorno.

 

Transportation in the city

Public buses in the city, information, timetables and fares: http://www.atl.livorno.it

 

Taxi 

Consorzio Taxi Livorno Via Grande 203, 57123 Livorno, Italy , Tel. +39-0586/883377

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Livorno

Livorno travel guide - Things to do and see in Livorno, Tuscany
Itinerary Livorno: Sightseeing tours - bike tours - day tours - wine tours  

Livorno or Leghorn is the capital of the correspondent Italian province Livorno in the region Tuscany. The city with about 161.206 inhabitants (as of December 31st, 2011) is located at the Tyrrhenian Sea. Livorno has one of the largest harbors of Italy. Livorno is also sometimes referred to as Leghorn in English. 

 

Holiday in Livorno or Tuscany countryside

The Coast line of Tuscany offers many splendid white beaches. A guide to Tuscany's best beaches with reviews and what to do when you're there, chosen by our local experts.

 

Our portfolio of hand picked rental villas with pool, holiday houses, romantic country houses and cottages, apartments or rooms for rent with a view in Tuscany offers you authentic, charming and private accommodation for a unique holiday experience.

 

No matter if you favor family holidays, beach holidays, golf holidays, luxury holidays or a pet friendly accommodation, we have the best private rentals in Tuscany available for you!

 

Things to see in Lovorno, Tuscany

  • Monumento ai quattro Mori – The „monument of the 4 blackamoors“ is the landmark of the city.
  • Fortezza Vecchia – A fort near the old Medici port (built 1521–1534)
  • Mastio di Matilde, a cylindric watch tower built around the year 1077
  • Duomo San Francesco di Assisi – The cathedral of Livorno is located in center of the old town right at the Piazza Grande. 
  • The Cisternone and the Cisternino, two large reservoirs in a neoclassical style 

Check our insider's travel guide to Livorno, featuring the best Events of Livorno, Night Live of Livorno and sightseeing tours to discover the stunning landmarks, markets, churches, museums and monuments of Livorno Tuscany

 

Typical cuisine of Livorno, Tuscany

Indulge your passion for Italian food or life style on a cookery holiday combined with language courses in Livorno Tuscany and enjoy our hands-on cooking lessons and cookery courses in Tuscany Livorno.

 

The cuisine of the city Livorno is dominated by various fish dishes. The most famous dish is the fish stew “Cacciucco“. Furthermore there are specialties like the “Bordatino” (vegetable stew with polenta), “Riso al nero di sepia” (black risotto with sepia), “Baccalà” and “Stoccafisso” (dried cod). “Triglie alla Livornese“ are red mullets with a tomato sauce spiced with peperoncino.

 

A popular snack is the “Torta di Ceci“, which is sold like Pizza. The “Roschette“(curled pastry) is originally a Jewish Pesah dish. Another typical specialty of the city is the “Ponce alla Livornese”, a strong coffee with rum. 

 

Various DOC wine regions (wines with certificates of origin) stretch across the area of the Etruscan coast like “Bolgheri“, “Val di Cornia” and “Montescudaio”. All of these regions gained international prestige since the 1990s and produce wines like the “Sassicaia” and the ”Ornellaia”. Next to these distinguished wines the region also produces more affordable wines. 

 

Are you planing a day trip to Livorno or to the tuscany countryside? Please check our travel guide for the best restaurants in Livorno, wine tasting courses or selected wine tours discovering the most famous tuscan wineries of the Chianti or the Brunello region guided by a certified Tuscan wine sommelier. 

 

Events of Livorno, Tuscany

The award of the „Accademia navale e Città di Livorno”, an international sailing regatta (end of April). 

 

Oarsmanship competition of the districts of Livorno taking place in the months June and July.

 

On the second Sunday in July the “Palio Marinaro” takes place.

 

The “Effetto Venezia” takes place on the first days of August in the district Venezia Nuova.

 

The fair “Maggio Campigliese“ is organized on the second weekend of May in Campiglia Marittima.

 

On the first Sunday in December the wild boar festivity (Sagra del Cinghiale) with the “Palio delle Botti” and the archers’ tournament takes place in Suvereto. 

 

Things to do in Livorno

The coast and the islands offer the possibility to do various types of watersports.

 

The dense forests and the different nature reserves around Livorno are inviting to go on excursions through nature – enjoy a jovial walk, a hike or a bicycle tour. 

 

For a relaxing spa holiday Livorno offers the Caldana- and S.Giovanni-thermal springs. 

 

Also horseback riding or golfing is possible almost everywhere. In the vicinity you can find various riding stables and golf courts. 

 

Discover the marvelous countryisde of Livorno and Tuscany joining a grape harvest festival or olive harvest festival, taking a bicycile tour in Tuscany visiting one of the nature parks or follow up our tracking itinerary.

 

If you want deeply to relax and re-charge all your energies a Spa journey would be perfect within your Livorno or Tuscan holiday. Tuscany has many natural hot springs. In most towns there is a modern spa where hot springs water is brought into a swimming pool and you pay a daily ticket to use the pool.

 

Beaches of Livorno

The beach region of the province Livorno is called the Etruscan coast (Costa Etrusca), and also known as „Riviera degli Etruschi“(Etruscan Riviera). It is a long coastal area between Piombino and Livorno and a part of the Maremma region, bordering the province Pisa in the north and east, as well as the province Livorno in the south.

 

The Etruscan coast is an especially popular coastal region in Tuscany among Italians and has next to the larger seaports Livorno and Piombino several well-established seaside resorts like e.g. Castiglioncello, Marina di Cecina, Marina di Bibbona, Donoratico, San Vincenzo and Baratti. In the north of the Etruscan coast, at the rocky coast between Livorno and Castiglioncello, you can find many pretty small bays.

 

Starting at the town Vada, the pine forests along the coastline, the landmark of the Etruscan Riviera, stretch along the entire Etruscan coast all the way down south to the town Baratti. The beaches in this region are gentler and fine gravel or sand beaches are inviting you to take walks along the beach and are ideal for families with children. Outside the seaside resorts long free beaches offer, also in summer, enough space and the adjacent pine forests offer shade. The gulf of Baratti is considered to be one of the most picturesque bays of the coast. The adjoining peninsula of Piombino in the south is ideal for diving with its exceptional rock formations.

 

Several seaside resorts were awarded the „Bandiera Blu“, an award that is only granted to clean beaches with clean sea water. Further south is Castiglioncello where you can find wonderful beaches and lovely small bays. The recently reconstructed recreational port Cala De’Medici offers room for 650 boats. 

 

Oddities

Due to the multi-cultural past the inhabitants of Livorno are known to be kind and tolerant. Yet the “Linguaccia Livornese“ - analogous "evil tongue" is known throughout Italy for being pretty outspoken. The nationally known satirical magazine Il Vernacoliere is a perfect example of it.

 

History of Livorno

The old names of the town, Liburna, Liorna, Livorna derive from the Roman war vessel type Liburne according to historical records. The city was first mentioned in 1017 and belonged to the territory of the maritime republic Pisa. Back then the town was just a small fisher village and a defense outpost of the port of Pisa. Between 1518 and 1534 the basin Darsena Vecchia and the fort Fortezza Vecchia were built. 

 

Beginning in 1571, under the rule of the grand dukes Cosimo I. and Francesco I., the town was planned and constructed as the “ideal city”. The result was a city with rectangular constructed streets surrounded by a hexagonal rampart and moats.  In 1675 Livorno was declared a free-harbor, which allowed the economy of the city to prosper for about 200 years. 

 

Livorno was a center for goldsmith’s arts, the processing of coral and the publishing industry. After the annexation of Livorno by Italy the city lost its free-harbor in 1865. In time the economic foundation of the city shifted to industry and tourism. 

 

Economy

The city looks back on a long tradition of shipbuilding, the dockyard Cantiere Navale Orlando was founded in 1865. Today the company Benetti builds mega yachts on the same compound. In the north of the city there is a mineral oil refinery of the Italian enterprise ENI. 

 

Other lines of business are the mechanical industry and car subcontractors.  The naval academy trains officer cadets of the Italian Navy. Famous symbol of the academy is the sailing drill ship Amerigo Vespucci. 

 

Climate

The winter, in particular the months December, January and February, can bring not only cold temperatures but also snow. The second half of February still brings some cold air, mainly in the north. After this period milder temperatures and the sun return to the region. Spring - the months March, April and May are characterized by different air currents that determine the weather.

 

Arrival to Livorno

By car: 

Coming from Milan take the highway A1 to Parma, than change for the highway A15 in direction La Spezia and finally take the highway A 12 to Livorno. Coming from Rome take the highway A 12 Rome – Civitavecchia and continue on the freeway E 80 to Livorno. Coming from Florence take the freeway Florence-Pisa-Livorno all the way to the center of Livorno. Coming from Bologna take the A1 to Florence-Signa and then continue on the freeway Florence-Pisa-Livorno to reach the center of Livorno.

 

By train: 

Livorno is located at the railway line Rome-Genoa with numerous trains in both directions. On the line Livorno-Florence run also many direct trains. The trip takes about 90 minutes. Time tables can be found in the internet at www.trenitalia.it.

 

By airplane:  

The next airport is the international airport Pisa Galileo Galilei (PSA). A bus takes you to the main train station from Pisa. Here connection trains to Livorno depart. An alternative is flying to Florence or Rome Fiumicino and take the train from there to Livorno.

 

Transportation in the city

Public buses in the city, information, timetables and fares: http://www.atl.livorno.it

 

Taxi 

Consorzio Taxi Livorno Via Grande 203, 57123 Livorno, Italy , Tel. +39-0586/883377

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