Via Santa Giulia

Until recently it was covered in scaffolding, but now we can see the newly refurbished apartment building on the back of the former La Gran Guardia movie theater, which now hosts an H&M store and a new smaller cinema.

See also: La Gran Guardia - The New Gran Guardia

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Cinema Jolly

It was built in 1913 as “Salone Margherita”, but we always knew it as “Cinema Jolly”, the name probably changed after the war, when it became a quite popular cheap movie theater.

Its last incarnation was as an adult movie theater, when such a thing still existed.

The building has been closed and almost abandoned for a while, but it is now undergoing some refurbishing to transform it in a commercial space: a definite improvement, at least in this case.

Let us hope that at least some of the interesting decorations will be preserved.

Search labels: cinema

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Livorno Superstar

Marco Sisi is an experienced video editor at RAI, Italy's national public broadcasting company, and a professional video maker. He is also a passionate cinephile and a few years ago he published an interesting book about Livorno in the movies: “Livorno superstar. La mia città dentro il cinema”.

He made this incredible short video, a montage of clips from almost every movie shot in Livorno. There is also a longer and more complete version, practically a documentary with interviews, which you can find here.

External links: RAI (Wikipedia) - Livorno superstar. La mia città dentro il cinema (Amazon)

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New Cinema, Old Logo

The old logo of the La Gran Guardia cinema on the screen of one of the new theaters...

...and on the upholstery of the seats.

See also: La Gran Guardia - The New Gran Guardia - Old Counter, New Cinema - Movie Projector

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Cinema Kino-Dessé

The Cinema “Kino-Dessé” in Via dell’Angiolo was an avant-garde movie theater which has been open for the last ten years, with an affectionate but lately dwindling public. I said “was” because the theater closed for good last Sunday, not a very good news for the new year.

In the last months the owners asked for some solidarity, but they got thousands of “likes” on Facebook without selling one ticket more. The last show was sold out.

External links: Cinema Kino-Dessé (Website, in Italian) - Cinema Kino-Dessé (Facebook page, in Italian)

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Movie Projector

A vintage movie projector on display in the hall of the new La Gran Guardia cinema.

See also: La Gran Guardia - The New Gran Guardia - Old Counter, New Cinema
External links: Movie projector (Wikipedia)

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Old Counter, New Cinema

Almost everyone in Livorno has queued at the ticket counter of the La Gran Guardia theater: for a show or a movie, sometimes for a concert or even an opera. (Picture taken in April 2011)

The same counter, refurbished and respectfully modernized, now sits at the entrance of the new cinema.

See also: La Gran Guardia - The New Gran Guardia

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The New Gran Guardia

Our Odeon and Moderno cinemas are now parking silos, but part of the La Gran Guardia movie theater is reborn today.

The new cinema has two 150-seat theaters equipped with state-of-the-art 4K digital projectors.

A small space decorated with old posters and with two of the original seats of the old cinema.

See also: Cinema Odeon - La Gran Guardia - Cinema Moderno - Odeon Parking - Odeon Parking, Sardi Street - Red and Gold
External links: 4K resolution (Wikipedia)

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Cinematografo

“Cinematografo” was the original Italian word for movie theater, now usually shortened in “cinema”. This faded old sign is painted on a wall visible from the “Parco delle Terme”.

See also: Parco delle Terme

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On the Road

“On the Road” movie poster and a scooter outside the “Kino Dessé” (formerly Gragnani), “Via dell'Angiolo”.

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Galleria Metropolitan

We have already seen this building, but now the part I called modern alley is complete with its final color. It somewhat keeps reminding me of the Siq, the main entrance to the ancient city of Petra.

See also: Modern Alley - Cinema Metropolitan
External links: Siq (Wikipedia) - Galleria Metropolitan (Archea Associati)

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Odeon Parking, Sardi Street

The only remaining part of our glorious “Cinema Odeon”: the entrance hall, which will be soon recycled as a retail space.The passage on the right leads you to the parking silo and to the “Parco Centro Città” (City Center Park). On the left the trees of the Old English Cemetery.Last but not least: it is probably still unfinished, but the ugliness and inelegance of the parking entrance on “Via Sardi” is simply beyond belief.

See also: Old English Cemetery - Parco Centro Città - Cinema Odeon - Odeon Parking

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Cinema Metropolitan

The new building where once was the “Metropolitan” movie theater, in “Via Marradi”. We have already seen the space on the right as an example of a modern alley.

See also: Modern Alley - A Hole in the Roof - Cinema Odeon - La Gran Guardia - Cinema Moderno

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Cinema Moderno

Works for the demolition of another former movie theater have recently bugun. The “Moderno” will soon have a new life as a parking, which is not much, but always better than what it was recently left of it.

See also: A Hole in the Roof - Cinema Odeon - La Gran Guardia

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Liburna

You can see this shield on the corner of “Via dell’Angiolo” and “Via delle Galere”. It is on the building of the “KinoDessé” movie theater and represents a stylized Liburna, a small galley, used as a symbol by our Chamber of Commerce.

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A Hole in the Roof

This collapsed roof was the first entry of Urban Blight, posted last year in April. This building was once the renowned movie theater “Moderno”, whose entrance was directly on our main street, “Via Grande”. All these pictures were taken from the rear window of an apartment in “Via Grande”. It seems that the only hope for this derelict building is to become a parking, a quite common fate for our former cinemas.

The roof now (June 3, 2011)

The roof a year ago (March 22, 2010)

See also: Urban Blight

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La Gran Guardia

If the “Odeon” was larger with its 2300 seats, “La Gran Guardia” was the more noble of our movie theaters. It was built during the reconstruction of the area of “Via Grande”, almost destroyed during the air raids of the last war.“La Gran Guardia” was inaugurated in 1954 and, with its 1300 seats and a great acoustic, was the venue of choice not only for movies, but for theater, concerts and even operas.The curious name, which literally means Big Guard, comes from a nearby old station of the guards called in the same way.The theater closed in 2005, the same year of the “Odeon”, but at least there are no cars in its future: within months an international retail-clothing company will open a huge store on the premises.We all wish well to this theater in its new incarnation; it was so sad to see this place as it was for the last time.

See also: Cinema Odeon

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Cinema Odeon

The “Cinema Odeon” was one of the best movie theaters in town: I saw “Jaws” there and a few others movies of the time. Now only the front hall of the cinema still exists, the rest was replaced by a multi-level car park.The cost of the structure is already around 20 million Euro and to make this eyesore even more conspicous it has been painted blue. The parking garage borders with the Old English Cemetery and the Waldensian church.

See also: Odeon Parking - Odeon Parking, Sardi Street - Old English Cemetery - Waldensian church

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Arena Fabbricotti

A part of the park of “Villa Fabbricotti”, in front of the villa, is used during summer as an outdoor cinema: the “Arena Fabbricotti”.The seating was temporary at first, usually appearing just before summer. Now is always there.Giuseppe Emanuele Modigliani, the serious brother of the painter, has a place on the side of the screen, so he has to turn his head to watch the movies...

See also: Amedeo & Pietro - Villa Fabbricotti

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Libreria Edison

When I was younger the “Teatro Lazzeri”, a movie theater, hadn't a very nice reputation and was quite seedy and already run-down. It has been closed and abandoned for years when finally reopened as “Edison Bookstore”.The street level hall is roomy and spectacular, surrounded by a gallery with a cafe.The basement gets even some natural light from above.The “libreria” is open 9-24 on weekdays, 10-24 on Sundays.The bookstore opened in December 2008 and is a welcome ray of light in an area almost deserted at night.

See also: Edison Bookstore Livorno (in Italian)

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