The Gate of the Parterre

The recently restored gate of the Parterre, now Sandro Pertini park. The pillar in background is what is left of a monumental fountain once placed at the corner of Via Garibaldi with Via Galilei. The statue on the top represents Hygieia, the goddess of health. On the body of the column we can find other symbols.

See also: Parterre - Caduceus - Mascaron Fountain
External links: Hygieia (Wikipedia)

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Aquiloni in Festa

“Aquiloni in Festa” (literally “Kites in Feast”) is an annual event at the Terrazza Mascagni.

Last Sunday this festival of sorts attracted kite-flying lovers from the rest of Tuscany.

It was a beautiful day, but a bit more wind would have been great.

See also: Terrazza Mascagni
Search labels: Terrazza Mascagni

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Grand Masters

In the park of Villa Fabbricotti we can find the busts of two preeminent Livornese Freemasons: Adriano Lemmi (Livorno, 1822–Florence, 1906) and Alessandro Tedeschi (Livorno, 1867–Saint-Loubès, 1940).

Adriano Lemmi, as Grand Master from 1885 until 1895, was able to reunite all the Masonic observances of the peninsula under the Grande Oriente d'Italia (Grand Orient of Italy).

With the advent of the Fascist Era, the Freemasonry was outlawed in Italy and the Grand Orient of Italy was reorganized in France where, in 1931, Alessandro Tedeschi became Grand Master in exile. During the war he was actively sought after by the Gestapo as a Jew, a Mason, and an anti-Fascist. He died in 1940, just before they were able to arrest him.

External links: Grand Orient of Italy

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Fosso in Fiore

A couple of years ago we saw the first traces of an urban farm on Scali del Refugio.

Now it is a hanging garden of sorts facing the canal and a sign call it “Fosso in Fiore”, which is literally “blooming canal”.

See also: Urban Farm

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Via Paoli

Bicycle below a dilapidated window against a newly painted and already tagged wall, at the corner of Via Paoli with Via dell'Origine. With weeds.

Search labels: bicycle art
External links: Bicycle Art

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Noordam

The 285-meter “Noordam” was built in 2006 at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Venice.

She can carry 1916 passengers with a crew of 800.

External links: MS Noordam - Holland America Line (Wikipedia)
Search labels: cruise ship

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Coming Home

We are coming back to Livorno. Do not call this a sunset: it is only a show of crepuscular rays...
If you are curious about some pictures taken in London just click here.

See also: Crepuscular Rays - To London
External links: Crepuscular rays (Wikipedia)

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The Mysterious Frieze

On the facade of a small building in Via del Risorgimento we can admire one of the most enigmatic pieces of art in town. The fascinating relief is dramatically unfinished or perhaps inspired by some futuristic vision of mankind.

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More Road Machines

Still about strange machines seen around town: here is a “Ditch Witch” horizontal directional drill.

A simpler one: a cold paint road marking machine, in standby inside the Porto Mediceo.

External links: Ditch Witch (Wikipedia)
See also: Cold Milling Machines

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A Century Apart

Via Solferino with the San Marco Gate in background

Almost the same view via Solferino in the early years of the 1900's

(Postcard digitized from the collection of Antonio Cantelli)

Search labels: postcard
See also: San Marco - Porta San Marco - Via Solferino

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Pegaso 3

We have already seen “Pegaso 2”. “Pegaso 3” is another one of the three HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Services) aircraft of the Regione Toscana. This one is based in Massa.

See also: The Helipad - Pegaso 2
External links: AgustaWestland AW139 (Wikipedia)

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Liberi!

An eye is missing and it has some unrelated add-ons, but is still an unmistakable work of Clet Abraham.

Piazza del Luogo Pio: in Italian “Liberi” is free in its plural form, on a no entry sign.

See also: Clet Abraham - On the Trail of Clet - Via dell'Olmo - Clet's Studio
External links: Thirty smile an hour zone: Cheeky artist changes road signs with stickers... (Daily Mail)
- The language of the street signs by Clet Abraham (Abitare)
Search labels: Clet Abraham

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Colonnaded Portico

The colonnaded portico of the Cisternino di città seen from Piazza della Repubblica.

See also: Cisternino di città - Piazza della Repubblica
External links: Portico (Wikipedia)

English version

LNG Express

The “LNG Express” is a high-speed service boat (25 knots) for the crew of the “FSRU Toscana” terminal, the controversial regasification plant anchored 22 km off the Tuscan coast.

The boat is a Damen Stan Tender 1905, owned by the Fratelli Neri S.p.A and on lease to the terminal.

See also: FSRU Toscana
External links: Stan Tender 1905 (Damen) - Damen Group (Wikipedia)

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Attias at Night

Piazza Attias at night, with the Big Red A.

See also: Piazza Attias - The Big Red A - The New Attias - A Like Attias

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A Hippogriff

A hippogriff is a legendary animal that has the foreparts of a winged griffin and the body and hindquarters of a horse. His “inventor” was Ludovico Ariosto in his “Orlando furioso”. Within the poem, the hippogriff is extremely fast, can fly around the world and also to the moon: riding this creature the wandering knight Roger is able to free the beautiful Angelica.

Our hippogriff is one of a pair decorating an old gate in Via Roma.

External links: Hippogriff - Orlando Furioso (Wikipedia)

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PWC

A couple of PWCs of the Polizia di Stato (State Police) patrolling the coast and the port.

I am not a fan of scooters but I would really like to ride one of these...

(Pictures taken last August)

External links: Personal water craft - Polizia di Stato (Wikipedia)

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The Man in Yellow

A crew member on watch while the “Mega Express Three” ferry enters the Porto Mediceo.

See also: Yellow Ships - Ferries are Back - Bows in a Row - Mega Express Two - Moby Aki & Mega Express Two
Search labels: ferry

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Killer Gaze

I have already called this unsociable cat watch cat and grumpy cat, and his mood was not better last May.

Considered his disposition in a sunny day, I was happy there were bars between us the day I caught him totally wet, after a sudden downpour last June.

See also: Watch Cat - The Grumpy Cat
Search labels: cat

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Credo

The 184-meter container ship “Credo” was built in 1996 at the Stocznia Szczecińska in Szczecin, Poland. Launched as “Panamerican”, the ship has changed name at least ten names since. She is en route to Chile.

(Picture taken last July)

External links: Szczecin Shipyard (Wikipedia)

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To London

We will be posting from London for a couple of weeks... Greetings to you all! (Picture taken last May)

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Cold Milling Machines

A cold planer parked in Piazza del Municipio. A cold milling machine removes part of the existing asphalt from a road as part of the process of resurfacing it. Milling smooths the surface and the resulting material can be reused in the new asphalt hot mix. (Picture taken last April)

Another cold planer ready for the epochal and long awaited resurfacing of Viale Marconi. (Picture taken last June)

External links: Pavement milling (Wikipedia)

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Inside San Sebastiano

The church of San Sebastiano was built after the plague epidemic of 1632 in honor of Saint Sebastian, the protector of the plague victims. The architect was Giovanni Francesco Cantagallina, brother of Antonio, one of the architects of our Cathedral.

See also: Saint Stephen - San Sebastiano - After the Pestilence

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Ocean Dream

The “Ocean Dream” is a cruise ship chartered to Peace Boat, a Japanese non-governmental organization, for a cruise around the world. I patiently waited for her departure from our port, but it was getting dark and this is all I got of the ship.

On the other hand I had plenty of time to take pictures of her passengers: some were milling around the ship listening to music and even fishing.

Others were clearly awed by the beauty of the port of Livorno.

The younger ones were obviously taking selfies...

External links: Ocean Dream - Peace Boat (Wikipedia)

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Neo-Gothic Window

A Neo-Gothic window in Via Coccoluto Ferrigni.

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Yemanja

On the wooden fence of a construction site in Viale Caprera:

“È triste morire in mare tra le onde di Yemanja” (It is sad to die in the sea amid the waves of Yemanja)

A “triglia” or goatfish

External links: Yemaja (Wikipedia)
Search labels: mural

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500,000

We have already reached quota 500,000 last February, but only combining the results of this blog with the Italian version. This time Livorno Daily Photo has just crossed the mark of half a million page views on its own. By the way, we got 100,000 hits in seven months, traveling at an average of almost 480 a day.

See also: 2000! - Half a Million - Top Ranking Blog
External links: Classifica blog provincia di Livorno (BlogItalia, in Italian)

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El. Venizelos

The “Eleftherios Venizelos” is a 175-meter ferry of the Anek Lines that was chartered by a consortium of Sardinian entrepeneurs to offer a low-cost alternative to the vessels of the Moby and Corsica Sardinia on the route between Livorno and Olbia.

The “El. Venizelos” is the third ship used on this route, after two other ferries (“Lato” and “Sophocles V.”) had technical troubles during the season. Her last run was on Thursday 28, leaving thousand of passengers stranded in Olbia. Unpaid bills are probably the reason behind this sudden stop: however, the next day, the ship was already on her way back to Piraeus.

Here you can see the other ferry, the “Sophocles V.”, leaving Livorno for Olbia last June.

External links: Anek Lines (Wikipedia)
Search labels: ferry

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Nuit américaine

It wasn't exactly night, only late dusk, and I admit that a bit of nuit américaine (day for night) was used in this image of lamp posts on the Fosso Reale.

External links: Day for night (Wikipedia)

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Theme Day: Rust and Ruins

It is hard to speak of rust and ruins without remembering our beloved Dutch church.

The building is still fenced off and its own railing is almost overgrown by weeds.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

External links: Temple of the Dutch German Congregation (Wikipedia)
See also: Dutch church - A Good Start
Search labels: Dutch church

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