Livorno: Terrazza Mascagni

Tuscany’s second-largest city is a quintessential port town. Though first impressions are rarely kind, this is a ‘real’ city that really does grow on you. Its seafood is the best on the Tyrrhenian coast, its shabby historic quarter threaded with Venetian-style canals is ubercool, and pebbly beaches stretch south from the town’s elegant belle Epoque seafront. Be it a short stay between ferries or a day trip from Florence or Pisa, Livorno (Leghorn in English) is understated and agreeable.

The seaside promende is one of the prettiest areas of the city. There is a large piazza called Terrazza Mascagni. The winding promenade ends with the Terrazza Mascagni. It is tiled with black and white floor tile that resembles a huge chessboard.You have a beautiful view of the sea and a circular temple that once hosted concerts and cultural events. On the promenade, you will see palaces, gardens, and historic buildings that are part of the history of the city.

No trip to Livorno is complete without a stroll along (and photo shoot of) this dazzling ‘work of art’.

When it was built in the 1920s it was called Terrazza Ciano after the leader of the Livorno fascist movement, but 40 years later the city changed its name to that of Livorno-born opera composer Pietro Mascagni (1863–1945).