Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Story Continued

Bas-relief with the story of Livorno, Palazzo del Governo, LivornoOn 16 March 1606, Ferdinando I de' Medici appointed Bernadetto Borromei as the first “Gonfaloniere” of Livorno, since then officially recognized as a “città” (city).
Bas-relief with the story of Livorno, Palazzo del Governo, Livorno
The building of a ship symbolizing the already thriving local shipyards as an important resource for the newborn city.Bas-relief with the story of Livorno, Palazzo del Governo, LivornoIn 1613, under the rule of the Grand Duke Cosimo II, the galleys of the Knight of Saint Stephen, commanded by Jacopo Inghirami, conquered Acliman, freeing 238 enslaved christians and capturing 300 “infidels”.Bas-relief with the story of Livorno, Palazzo del Governo, LivornoThe coat of arms of the House of Savoy, under which Italy was united as a nation. Livorno has already been annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia, since 1859. On 20 September 1870 some “Bersaglieri” entered Rome through the “Porta Pia breach”, completing the unification of Italy. Steam powered boat were being built in the shipyards of Livorno.Bas-relief with the story of Livorno, Palazzo del Governo, LivornoOn the left the Cathedral of San Giusto in Trieste and the Castle of Buonconsiglio in Trento. The annexation of two cities was the last step toward the unity of Italy, after the First World War. The soldier simbolizes the participation of the Livornesi to the war. The first article of the Republican Constitution of 1946 is shown in the middle, along with workers of various trades.Bas-relief with the story of Livorno, Palazzo del Governo, LivornoThe Italian coat of arms with a glimpse, outside the panel, of the blue European flag.

Livorno Story (Part 1 of 2)

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22 comments:

Amber said...

What a beautiful city! I enjoy looking at your posts.
From Florida, USA

Lowell said...

What a story these panels tell! Livorno has quite a history and it's fascinating.

Thanks for sharing all of these photos and especially for your commentary!

Antjas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Antjas said...

What a wonderful way of telling a story. Even though there are few words, the pictures are in Italian, so thanks for interpreting what all those Italians were up to.

brattcat said...

Such interesting interpretation in art of this history. Thank you for telling and showing us the story of Livorno.

James said...

I love these wonderful carvings. It's such a nice way to tell a story.
Great post!

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

this is wonderful and such s story. you have to wonder why we have lost such complexity and symbolism in historical artwork today. Contemporary murals generally do not contain this much detail. Of course today we have the internet whereas in olden days, people came to the city to learn and read stories through images. I started a series ion my site today from my photography tour to the slot canyon and Vermillion Cliffs. It was quite an interesting and education trip. Also, if you like travel photos, we have posted action photos from Buenos Aires, Argentina on our travel photo site, www.vivalavoyage.com. Happy Monday!

Leif Hagen said...

Gee, U R smart! Someday when I make it 2 Livorno, I'll ask U 2 B the tour guide!

Ellie said...

Lots of history - the stone will carry the story for a long time. Nice effort to "cut in stone" the specific version of the Italian perspective on what happened.

Julie said...

I have found, in both France and in Italy, that reliefs of this type are jam-packed with information if one just knows how to read the images right!

One thing though: I wonder how the population of Livorno keeps pace. In all the panels, not one image of a female of the species ahh ... yes yes yes - there is ... today's post, image 3 RHS, mother and child.

Phew ...

Wolynski said...

Fascinating history of the city - you guys have a past. Are t5he shipyards still functioning?

tapirgal said...

This is simply beautiful, and your presentation is so interesting. What an amazing piece of heritage this is for Livorno and for all people interested in history and art. These two posts are spectacular.

Cezar and Léia said...

These panels bring history and art at the same time!Wonderful post dear friend and very informative, like the previous one!
Thanks for sharing!
Léia

stromsjo said...

...a democratic republic founded on labour...

Reading incriptions can be interesting. I once attended a tour where the guide pointed to a stone and said that it was raised in the honour of workers who built a certain railroad. Upon reading I noticed that the stone was in fact a tribute to the work. Not the workers.

B SQUARED said...

They don't make anything like this anymore, anywhere. It's as though the building is speaking.

Ilse said...

Is there another Italian blog? I wonder why this blog is not also simultaneously written in Italian because I think the local inhabitants would be very interested in such a precise & practical presentation of their history.

Frank said...

Wow, I wish I had seen these panels when I was there. They are certainly interesting, incredibly carved and your history lesson was terrific. Livorna is a fascinating city and you have really added to my understanding of how it came about.
Your photos are perfect. Thanks!!

Tinsie said...

This is really interesting. I love story-telling statues/engravings. I saw something similar in Koblenz, Germany... now where are those photos...

Unknown said...

Wonderful history lesson and great carving shots to go with! These two posts are fantastic! Well done, VP!

joo said...

Great way of presenting history. Terrific posts!

Hilda said...

Love it! Thank you for continuing the story. Very interesting!

Baruch said...

Very, very interesting and impressive story wall