La Coppa Barontini

The ‘fossi medicei’, characteristic canals, dug out from the XVIth century onwards upon the initiative of Cosimo I dei Medici and the project of the Florentine architect Buontalenti, served the purpose of defending the town, as well as being used for commercial activity, and connected the port with the warehouses situated near the slipways. Along these water routes that interconnecting with each other go to make up the old district of "Venezia Nuova", all the handicraft and commercial activities thrived in the past, together with those of daily life, an aspect that can be re-discovered aboard the boat that carries out this characteristic tourist trip. Along the way, in the heart of the old part of the town, tourist and visitors can admire the typical 'cantine' or transit underneath the Piazza della Repubblica, one of the largest piazzas in Italy that can hold as many as 20,000 people, and see the light filtering through the old iron gratings overlooking the ditch.

The stops along the way to see the ancient fortifications are particularly interesting – the Fortezza Vecchia (1521-1534) and the Fortezza Nuova (1590-1600), as well as the central marketplace (1894) of the "Vettovaglie" (victuals or provisions). This impressive building houses about 200 shops selling the widest variety of foodstuffs and represents one of the liveliest places of the town. It is a curious fact that a smaller imitation of this building, realised using the planning sheets of the building in Livorno, can be found right in the heart of the city of London, in the famous commerical district of Covent Garden. There is also a unique occasion, not to be missed, for imagining the bustle and fervor of this part of Livorno as it is brought back to life – "Effetto Venezia", the manifestation that takes place at the beginning of August. Every evening for nine days, amongst craftsmen, antique collectors, street animators, shows and performances recalling the history of the town, the lights go up on a great celebration that enlivens every corner of this characteristic part of town, made up of canals, bridges and eighteenth-century palazzi that render it so similar to the town of Venice.