Oh, how I love the sweet city of Lucca! I was lucky to go there during our recent 2 week yellow zone period and here are some of my pictures and videos. I was lucky that we in Tuscany had a 2 week yellow break from the orange zone, which we are in again now. Ugh. I hate being cooped up!

One of my first stops in the city was the church of San Michele in Foro. As the name of the church tells us, it was built over what was once the Roman era forum. Think about that for a minute.

Luckily and surprisingly, for you never can tell anymore what will be open when (thanks for nothing Covid), the church was open and I had a lovely tour around the interior. Many things caught my eye, including these bottles of holy water, for 2 Euro per bottle, just right for taking on an airplane. Ha ha.

Also, the Christmas ornaments available for sale were pretty and striking.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Next up, the church of San Frediano, which is very striking with its monumental 13th century mosaic of Christ in Ascension. This basilica has a special chapel devoted to the memory of Santa Zita, who was born in Lucca. A friend in the USA wanted pictures of this chapel and I was happy to find the basilica being opened just as I arrived. I got the pictures for my friend and thoroughly enjoyed the interior of the church. I was, as always in these days of early 2021, either alone in the building, or one of a handful. I am getting used to this and will probably be spoiled for the rest of my life, expecting to always have culture to myself.

The pictures below show the elaborate baptismal font inside San Frediano.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Here are some pictures of the overall interior and details:

• 

• 

The entrance wall of the church has some important frescoes:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

And now we shall enter the chapel devoted to Saint Zita. The stories of her miracles are depicted in the very dark oil paintings around the chapel.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Moving in space from the sacred to the profane, did you know that Lucca has a museum devoted to the history of torture?

As I walked back to the train station to go home to Florence, I saw these signs devoted to the Via Francigena, the famed pilgrimage route that funneled travelers from all over Europe towards Rome. It passed through Lucca.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Some general shots of this lovely little city:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I’ll be back with part 2 soon! Arrividerci!

This is the 2nd half of my post of picturesque Livorno, started yesterday.

Oh, how I wish I were able to be upon that boat in the video above, making its way through the canal!

Below, I am leaving the Venice section of the city and headed to the place where the town meets the sea.

• 

Livorno is a huge and thriving port. There aren’t many cruise ships now, thanks to Covid, but I have no doubt they will be back. In the meantime, I really wanted to get on the yellow ship, bound for Sardegna. Maybe next summer, I hope.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Check out these bright orange and yellow buildings! The colors stuccoed onto buildings in Livorno are much stronger than the golds and ochres I am accustomed to in Florence. I like it!

• 

• 

Another look back at the canals in the city:

• 

• 

So, then there is the historic “mercato centrale.” Wikipedia and I agree that this is one of the most interesting buildings in Livorno.

“It is one of the most interesting buildings in Livorno from the second half of the nineteenth century, greatly influenced by the great developments in iron and glass architecture.

“In Italy, the post-unification years were characterized by a campaign for the reorganization of services which also affected Livorno. Here, after a first conversion of buildings acquired in the state property, a more consistent commitment was made thanks to the push of the mayor Nicola Costella, and important public works were built: among these, the most impressive was the Food Market, designed by Angiolo Badaloni.

“The area chosen for the construction was inserted in the city center, along the Fosso Reale, in the area once occupied by the complex Medici fortified system and subsequently by an arena for daytime shows. The works began in 1889 – 1890 and quickly ended in 1894; at the time, however, there was no lack of criticisms related to the size and cost (about 4 million Lire ) of the work.

“It should be remembered that, according to the stories of the Livorno painter Filippelli, around 1909 the famous Amedeo Modigliani, returning from Paris, rented a large room in the upper floors of the building of the Market, at the corner of Via Gherardo del Testa, and carved some stone sculptures of heads. On his return to France, it is said that these works were thrown into the Fosso Reale ditch which, in 1984, was the scene of the famous discovery of some fake heads, made by some young people from Livorno.”

• 

• 

• 

• 

Continue reading →

Taking full advantage of the two week long period yellow zone in Tuscany, during which we could travel outside our commune but while remaining within our region (thanks for nothing Covid), I hopped on a train in Florence on a recent sunny February morning and away I went to Livorno. Alas, we are in orange zone again, so I can only look back fondly at such glorious regional travel.

I’ve been to Livorno once before, in the height of an Italian summer, and I almost fainted from the heat. I loved my visit anyway and knew I had to return to visit the city in more leisure. That opportunity happened last week.

I arrived at the pretty grand Livorno railway station and walked to the center of the old city. Livorno doesn’t get a lot of love from tourists or natives, and I understand why. It’s crusty. You can tell it was once a fine old port, expanded by the Medici dukes, but WWII was brutal to the strategic town. It’s a pity.

In my life as an art historian, I researched and wrote a lot about 19th century Italy and the American artists who came here. Livorno, called Leghorn in English, was the place where so many Anglo-American travelers first made contact with Italy. There is an old English cemetery in Livorno that I haven’t yet had the chance to visit. I will wait until Covid is a thing of the past and visit Livorno with a guide, so that I can truly understand the historic significance of this once proud city.

Come along with me and enjoy my February 2021 pictures of Livorno:

One is greeted at the train station with a large portrait of Modigliani, one of my favorite Italian artists who. He was born in Livorno.

• 

• 

As I was walking to the city center from the train station, I happened upon this little class of kindergarteners, just leaving the pretty city park. I love moments like this.

I headed first to Piazza della Repubblica:

• 

• 

From the piazza, I headed for the Quartiere Venezia, a map of which is here:

When I was in Livorno the last time, I had the great pleasure of touring the Venetian quarter of Livorno by boat with my friends. This time, I simply followed the canals on the neighboring sidewalks, enjoying the sunshine, the water views, and the sounds of Livorno and its seagulls.

• 

• 

• 

• 

The Medici duke’s era is plainly written on the architecture of Livorno; these fortifications look like the brother of the Fortezza da Basso in Florence. Same era, same materials, same architect.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

As I began to wander away from the fortifications and towards the Ligurian sea, but still well within the city, I spotted delightful scenes of daily life in Livorno. A lot of it takes place along the canal. I even spotted Peter Pan’s boat!

Below: some fishermen try their luck in a canal on a sunny afternoon in Livorno. The water is very clean and bright.

• 

• 

• 

• 

This sad but beautiful pale blue palazzo with the green shutters below tells a story, if you listen. How grand it once was. I wish I could buy it and take that “for sale” sign off its facade.

• 

• 

Below, another square has another memorial, this one to Giuseppe Garibaldi

• 

• 

• 

Below: a lovely old church along a canal, now used for acrobatics?!

• 

• 

There is a mighty equestrian sculpture in front of the Art Deco Palazzo del Livorno:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The Palazzo itself has an interesting sculptural relief, telling, I think, the story of Livorno:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I’ll be back tomorrow with the rest of the post on Livorno. There is a lot to see in this old port town!

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210203-eiffel-tower-goes-for-gold-with-revamp-ahead-of-2024-paris-olympics?fbclid=IwAR3DwoV-_zjn0edDM2BLYfc1YbMS9NXD2O3MSSHnAIk5dVCCUuY4bSh9IEE&ref=tw_i