Livornoin Tuscany, Italy 4k. Not just a gateway port to Pisa
Levo on the Italian coast is often regarded as a gateway port to Florence or Pisa. And why not? They’re both great destinations. But of course, it has its own charm. The information and tourism office is exactly where the bus drops you off. And waiting for you will be a number of walking tours. There’s the Red Top Bus. This one’s religious based. It’s it’s a donation of around €20. But if you go into the waiting room and scan the app, you’ll get points dropped onto your Google Maps of all the places you might want to visit. We’ll try and explain those to you. All right. So, now stop. Not even 2 minutes away from the shuttle bus is the Grand Square. And in the Grand Square, you’ll find the cathedral. There’s the historic area. There’s the Venice area around the canals and the modern front along the prominard. In the rain, the marble outside the cathedral is very slippy, so watch your feet. That’s an understatement. It’s very slippery. [Music] [Music] The Capella de Santisimo Sacramento houses a very important 15th century painting of Christ crowned with thorns by Bato Angelico. Quite a good tip for Lavo. Watch the weather because it it is pouring down with rain. Neither Pisa or Florence will be a lot of fun. We’re going towards Largo del Duomo down here, but it’s raining just a bit or or just a lot. So, we’re going to duck out for a coffee before we visit the synagogue behind the coffee shop. As it’s Sunday, like so many places, it’s closed. This interesting building is the synagogue of Levo. The 1962 modern synagogue was built on top of the 17th century temple that was fled by Allied bombing. As we walk up the road, we cross one of the Venice-like canals and find this statue in a great square that leads us to a number of places. Here’s a statue of Amado Modlani who lived in Leavono. He was affectionately known as Dedo or Daido. We don’t know which way you say it. And we’re just going to have a look at his house. It’s very easy to walk past this. We did quite a few times. It’s actually got a sign on the door, but so easy to miss. And it’s above the hair and beauty shop. Look across the road. You’ve just walked up and you’ll see the roof of the theater. This is the Golden Theater, which is apparently one of the most prestigious theaters in Italy and it features an amazing glass roof. Italy is about churches. This cathedral is not on our walking tour. So I went into Google Maps and I clicked on Google Lens and it told me that this is the Cathedral de San Francesco and it features a neocclassical facade with a large clock and a statue of an angel above the entrance. The monument in front is dedicated to the fallen of World War I, and it’s got a a group of bronze figures, which it has. Well done, Google Lens. Certainly, the use of the smartphone is increasing. Everybody is using it to find their way around, and things like city apps and this walking tour help you get around. We’ve reached the central market, which of course is closed today because it’s a Sunday, but I’m sure on a weekday it’s full of hustle and bustle. It’s a lovely building. This street via de la Madonna is a testament to the cosmopolitan origins of the city. There are three churches in this street. The Armenian church, this is the Greek United Church, and there’s the church of the Madonna. [Music] Just up from the four moors monument is the government palace and this is the seat of local government. [Music] Leono is a real mix of old and new buildings. Behind me is the old fortress, which is the most important historic monument here, and it’s right next to the new marina with all the modern shops and cafe. This 16th century marble statue by Giovano Bandini symbolizes the victory over the pirates in the Tuscan seas. Please share with your friend. And hey, while we were here, we found an Italian fan who showed us that we get translated and speak Italian in Italy. We’re at Nikos, which is a lovely little Italian restaurant by the roundabout. And the best thing about it for us is we looked at the menu. It was all in Italian, but they speak perfect English here. The daughters are studying in England, so you’ll be made very welcome and everything will be explained. Although, as you probably know, your smartphone will translate the menu. You can probably get around Leono quite quickly looking at all the monuments and churches, etc. So you might be happy to come to this modern complex where there are definitely good toilets inside and restaurants for refreshments. So now you can see in the distance the MS Sea ship has got the nearest dock in Levant Corno. Um Queen Victoria’s got the second one and I believe there’s another two cruise ships beyond that. So I think there’s four cruise ships in town today. So I’m glad I’ve seen Lavorno but I don’t need to come back here. Next time I think I’ll use it as a gateway port to Pisa and Florence. The red top bus, which leaves just up the hill from the port, will take you all the way to Nice, but there’s enough to see in Phil Frch. This citadel was built in 1557. [Music] In Laort Death is St. Peter’s Chapel which was built by the fisherman and was decorated by Jean Kulto. This statue in the middle of Virgin Square is to represent the river which flowed over where the park is but was then diverted after the great floods in October in 1957. So this is the church in the square of the virgin and it’s beautiful inside. I used to love reading historical novels about the Boures. They were so wicked. They all slept with each other. They were incestuous. They poisoned each other. And there are only two popes from Valencia. And one of them was Alexander Bourja. In theory, if I walk to the very end of this park, it’s 47 minutes. I’ll come out to where the shuttle bus stops. The market closes at 3:00. So, if you want to go and visit the market, you need to go in the morning. We’ve just had a very interesting walking tour where we learned that paella is not the Spanish national dish. It’s from Valencia. And the Spanish national dish is Spanish omelette. Also, we learned that paella does not have seafood in it. It has chicken and rabbit and garlic. A little bit of garlic. That is the traditional paella. And no charitzo. Jamie Oliver. The Unexpected is dark, intense, and sophisticated. It blends pulse pounding action with emotionally riched character drama, balancing suspense, sharp humor, and cultural insight. It’s layered with complexity and always emotionally resonant, where freedom dances on the edge of betrayal. The Cruz crime novel with espionage.
Livornoin Tuscany, Italy 4k. Not just a gateway port to Pisa or Florence. It can consume a day all by itself. Jean walks you around all the key places.
INDEX
0:00 – shuttle stop
0:53 – cathedral
1:47 – synagogue
2:37 – Didi artist
2:55 – Theatre
3:14 – Cathedral (2)
3:52 – Market
4:03 – 3 Churches Street
5:00 – Government Palace
5:25 – Fort
5:40 – Bandini Monument
6:00 – Nico’s
6:20 – Modern Boardwalk
6:45 – ships docked
7:07 – Previews