Taste of a place - Livorno
- Aug 9
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 19
I remember reading a BBC article a few years ago calling Livorno Tuscany's “unattractive, unmissable town”. Words are important and these stuck with me, making me curious to visit....
As luck would have it, the weather turned stormy in Puglia with a front that would have us lay low for a few days. We were not up for that, so consulted the weather map only to see that the sun was shining on Tuscany.
Not only was Livorno top of my wishlist, we knew that Livorno lies just 20kms from Pisa and that meant easy access to RyanAir flights home....
Without much further ado, we set about planning the 900kms journey from Lecce to Livorno for the very next day. A simplified version of the odyssey; train Lecce to Bari. Flixbus Bari to Rome Tiburtina. Metro to Terminus. Train to Livorno. (Around 12 hours in total). Turned out to be hitch free and actually really enjoyable, even incorporating a pizza and beer break in Rome.
On arriving in Livorno around 9.30pm we took the opportunity to stretch the legs and took a brisk 25 minute walk to find our accommodation.
As luck would have it, the closest (& only open) bar was could see was the super cosy Nomade, with its kind and jovial host Fabio, who became a firm friend over the next few days. This bar with its natural wine only offer (not even a beer!), excellent tunes and art/literature strewn walls is a veritable haven for free thinkers and non conformists.
Over the next few days amongst other interesting and entertaining characters we met youth broadcasters from Copenhagen lured here to find out about the left wing “Ultras" football team, a chessmaster (who was keen to teach on the al fresco table) and an ex special services guy who gave us his number should we have “any trouble" with the police whilst in Italy.....Fabio whipped us up his Roman style potato and sweet onion frittata (made without eggs) and his cacio e pepe suppli (similar to arancini, but tastier) and the Danish friends cooked up some Home-style Danish treats on the street. This bar, it was fair to say, never failed to deliver on many fronts...
Our first morning in Livorno was full of promise; I had already scoped out the covered market (Mercato Vettovaglie) online and felt sure it would be a sensation. We were not disappointed by the 19th century arches and ironwork - it is commonly referred to as “our Louvre" by the locals and is home to about 200 stalls.
Vibrant, authentic and bustling with life it was everything and more than we had hoped for. A central bar “Caffe Mercato" .... with a super friendly informative barman who explained much about Livorno history and tradition – who also made a mean “Ponche Livornese" a delicious concoction of espresso, rum & cognac (ponche), sugar and lemon rind – to be enjoyed at any stage of the day...
The market is also home to many eateries and we dined at the central osteria “Alle Vettovaglie"..here not only did we enjoy a delicious meal of a shared cold fish platter (misto mare), tagliolini pasta with clam like shellfish called arselle and the punchiest pesto I’ve ever tasted. A warm strudel recommended by our young (& knowledgeable) host and the unique “glasshouse" setting made this a highlight.
Outside of the market run a network of boat lined canals, surrounded by beautifully faded buildings of complimentary hues. A walk along these canals will take you through “Little Venice", an up and coming area of restaurants and boutiques, past both the new and old forts, eventually to the sea.
Livorno is rightly proud of its maritime culture. Graffitti will remind you that it is staunchly left wing, with its dockworkers and football team ultras . It is proudly multicultural and feels like a gateway. Ferries from here to Corsica and Sardinia lend it an air of opportunity and expectation. Here you will also see local fisherman eschewing the marketplace, selling their catch from makeshift stalls on the side of the docks.
Much of Livorno was destroyed by WW2 bombing, therefore Florence or Pisa it certainly is not. It is unapologetic, has a slightly gritty feel and some real brutal(ist) buildings existing side by side with some of the remaining old architecture. Characterful, I would say....
The most famous local dish is Cacciucco; a traditional fish stew made from fishermans leftovers cooked in tomatoes. Rooted in Livorno’s poor fishing community & immigrant past, this is far from refined.
We enjoyed a version at Osteria Senese; an old school style family trattoria where the wine comes in a flagon and the host nods encouragingly when you order the local speciality (this was after you’ve made it past the queue at the door and the lady tapping the reservations book with her pen – of course, you have failed to make a reservation...). A great busy, bustly family atmosphere where the pasta was sublime (the tiramisu was spot on too!)
Other local specialities included the “5e5”. Queues from early morning prompted us to investigate the delightful low fi Gagarin with its formica tops, open wood oven and simple offer. This 5e5 is a delicious chickpea flour pancake is served in a bread roll and is offered with or without creamy aubergine and pepper – the 5s referring to the original pricing (5 for bread, 5 for pancake). I believe I chose correctly (“with”) because the man next to me nodded approvingly. The lady serving me asked if we were going to eat it “subito", straightaway. A “yes" answer, again, elicited approving nods – phew! The 5e5 may sound a little underwhelming but this ultimate street food (& the whole Gagarin experience) were so much more than the sum of its parts; feeling more like a tradition or a ritual that has been handed down. Not to be missed - find out more about the origins of this delicious snack by clicking here.
Another low key joint not to be missed is roadside kiosk Mare Matto. Our new found friends Fabio (Bar Nomade) and Veronica (ristorante Davvero) took us to this inauspicious location by the water (hoardings were all around, so views non existent), at this time. Here we enjoyed the best fritto misto we have ever had; super fresh, with the widest range of seafood including amongst other things, fresh anchovies, juicy prawns and fantastic, tender squid. It was exemplary. We also got to try fried ravioli filled with creamy ricotta for the first time. Absolutely lovely.
Later that day, Fabio took us for natural gelato at Caprilli – here we learnt that pistachio is actually pronounced “pistak-eeo” and should never be bright green in colour. It turns out that gelato should be stored covered in stainless steel troughs, not the neon colours piled high versions we tend to see more often – this will be neither fresh, nor natural. A particular bonus/highlight of this visit was the warm molten chocolate filled cones – I’m not sure I have seen B happier than this....
Another evening, left to our own devices, we stumbled upon newly opened, no frills Peruvian resto Punto Criollo. Good craic (Spanish speaking), great grilled meats and down home Peruvian vibes, if you fancy deviating from Italian food this is a very welcoming spot. (We weren’t shown a menu, but I’m sure somewhere one exists!)
The Modigliani portraits in our lovely apartment gave me a hunch that he may have hailed from these parts. A quick Google showed this to be true – but I’m not sure you would know this otherwise, as they are certainly not making a “thing" of it.... Eventually we found the town’s museum, expecting to see one or two of the local lad’s famous portraits – but according to the endearingly honest staff the only ones they had at the museum were all “fakes"! (I believe they are to be found in Florence).
This minor disappointment aside, there were so many other small pleasures such as; watching the sun go down over the sea from the dizzyingly glorious checkerboard Terrazza Mascagni....a random (& unpromising looking) Church with a lone saxophonist drenched in sunlight on a Tuesday morning or a pokey Campari Spritz on the piazza at “apero" time marvelling at some of the ugly/beautiful architecture in the twilight- all combined to make this such a memorable stay.
We left having made firm new friends, happy in the knowledge that we would be back again for more....
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