After two days at sea we need some solid land under our feet, but this is probably the last thing you would have expected today! A column of John Deeres parked opposite the “Fortezza Vecchia”.
This is part of a day of protest by the Tuscan farmers against the crisis in the agriculture sector.
The head of the statue of Gran Duke Ferdinando I, on top of the Four Moors monument, is visible in the middle of the last photo.
In my post “Turning Ships” I described a dance of the tug boats, meaning it as someting like a minuet around a ship. What the 31 meter tug “Piero Neri” is performing today is more a cancan.
The boat is trying to go toward the 214 meter “Express Lisbon” coming straight into port.
The “Piero Neri” reaches the “Vegliaia”, then slowly backtrack behind the “Diga Curvilinea” (curved sea wall).
Behind the incoming “Express Lisbon” is clearly visible the island of Gorgona, 37 kilometer away.
On the left of the ship, passing the “Vegliaia”, we can see the Meloria islet and its tower. There took place, in 1284, the Battle of Meloria, marking the end of Pisa as a sea power.
The ship reaches the entrance of the port, where three tugboats are waiting for her. The towering structure on the right is the 52 meter tall lighthouse, called “Fanale dei Pisani”.
My first fresh photos in a long time! The brand new 144 meter tanker “Maria Laura” patiently awaiting in a rather choppy sea, anyway much better than the day before.
The “Mega Express Three” slowly leaves port toward Sardinia, but I am sure her passengers wouldn't be much at ease with this sea.
The “Vegliaia” seawall, in front of the “Terrazza Mascagni”, is the first barrier protecting the entrance of the port of Livorno.
The “Terrazza” is a very good place to take pictures of the sea in any weather, but I spent more time wiping my lens and dodging crashing waves, than actually shooting.
From the “Terrazza Mascagni” looking south one could only imagine what is going on at “Boccale” or “Calafuria”.
The sea in front of the “Accademia Navale”: the only safe vessel seems to be the interred brigantine (you can see the masts) used for training on land.
Painting was a real mania in Livorno few decades ago. Nowadays, even if reduced in numbers, amateur painters still can support some specialized stores.
The “House of Painter” claims a large assortment of frames, colors and accessories, but they are closed on Saturday afternoon.
On the same street we find another “artistic” sign. The owner could better use his painting talent on his rusty rolling shutter.
Last September, on the same day of our visit on board “Amerigo Vespucci”, we saw a strange ceremony going on, in the late Sunday afternoon, aside a cruise ship.
A sizable part of the crew was waiting the return of the buses carrying the passengers from their tours, cheering on their arrival, clapping hands and offering refreshments.
A small band was playing behind a banner saying “Welcome Back Home”, as the passengers were returning from some kind of battle and not from visiting cities of the gentle Tuscany.
I wasn't the only one finding this interesting, another passenger was quite taken shooting from the top of his balcony, with his lady patiently waiting to resume a game of cards.
A day of heavy rain has delayed my quest for fresher photos, so I have to post once again repertoire images.
As you can see we are still around the “Mercato Centrale” and this is the only bridge in Livorno untouched by the bombings of the last war. The first shot is taken from below, almost at the level of the water, the second from the parapet in front of the market.
I have shown you the exterior and some details of the “Mercato Centrale”, but not much of what is going on inside its halls.
The first two images are taken in the main hall, the one with the iron leaves and the caryatids.
The last one shows the smaller hall of the fruit and vegetables, there is another similar hall for the fish.
