The Fortezza VecchiaAlthough the port of Livorno was already well-established in medieval times, only around 700 people lived there when the town was bought by Florence from Genoa in 1421. Livorno represented a strategic point for the Florentines, especially since the port of Pisa had begun to silt up. The ‘new’ city was founded at the end of the 16th century when the Florentine rulers, the Medici, decided to develop the whole area, employing their architect Buontalenti to design what he called the ‘ideal city’. The first stone was laid in 1577, and Livorno was officially given city status in 1606.

The Medici ruled over Florence and most of Tuscany for more than three centuries, but their dynasty finally came to an end with the death of Gian Gastone in 1737.

Following the Medici came the Dukes of Lorraine from Austria who ruled until Napoleon came on the scene in 1796.

Napoleon occupied Livorno three times between 1796 and 1800, with the intention of ruining the port’s chances of competing with Marseilles, and of seizing the wealth belonging to the British community in the city.

The Orlando Shipyards and monument to Luigi Orlando in LivornoIn 1865 a man called Luigi Orlando founded what was to form the basis of Livorno’s economy well into the 20th century. The Luigi Orlando Shipyards marked a turning point for the city, transforming its identity from a commercial to an industrial one. By the beginning of the 1900s the shipyard already employed around 2000 people and was to achieve worldwide fame as a builder of military and commercial vessels. Other industries also grew up in Livorno, and the port adapted to the new industrial century.