SURROUNDINGS

The historical city centre of Livorno is the so called quartiere Venezia, built at the beginning of the XVIII century mainly for commercial purposes. It was a mercantile district with warehouses and residential buildings, located right behind the harbour. The district is called "Venezia" (Venice) because of the presence of many navigable canals and bridges. The event "Effetto Venezia" (literally "Venice Effect") takes place at the beginning of August and it is a week-long festival with several events and shows, which liven up the district and make it more colourful.

The Terrazza Mascagni (Mascagni terrace) is certainly the most photographed place in Livorno. From there the gaze sweeps over the Tyrrhenian Sea, and the spectacular balustrade made of more than four thousand balusters seems like the frame of beautiful sunsets.

The Mimbelli Villa, built in the XIX century, houses the Museum "Museo civico Fattori", which hosts

the splendid works of art of Giovanni Fattori and paintings of other leading artists of the Macchiaioli art-movement, such as Silvestro Lega, Telemaco Signorini, Vincenzo Cabianca and Giovanni Boldini.

The market Mercato delle Vettovaglie of Livorno is said to be the most beautiful covered market in Europe, thanks to its style, neoclassical and liberty at the same time. The market, inaugurated in 1894 by Badaloni, is located in a commercial site in the city centre and it is famous not only for its characteristic architecture but also for the food-and-wine stands with exquisite local products.

The Naval Academy is the main institution in Italy for the technical training of military officers of the Italian Navy. The flagship of the Academy, admired and envied by the other navies all around the world, is the Amerigo Vespucci, the famous sailing ship of the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) used as school ship, which can also be visited in certain periods of the year.