This looks like a door knocker but surely it isn't: it's a marble head on the side toward the sea of the “Canaviglia” bastion of the “Fortezza Vecchia” (Old Fortress).
A similar lion head is placed on the “Ampolletta” bastion of the same fortress. No trace of marble heads on the third bastion, the “Capitana”. My friend Stefano says that these are marble models of the bronze originals, now in the hall of the Province of Livorno, used then to moor the ships at the walls.
Lion head door knocker on the massive front door of a “palazzo” in “Via Marradi”: the lion has a fluent mane and the handle is quite sober, the whole thing looks a bit worn out.
Not far from the first leon head, we have a second version on a front door in “Piazza Cavour”. Here the mane is cropped, the handle quite ornate and everything looks brand new.
Another sailor on top of the bowsprit of the “Amerigo Vespucci”, patching or cleaning something, fighting the boredom with the help of an iPod like device.
Stefano was not disturbed to get on board the “Vespucci”: when she is in port people may usually visit the ship a couple of hours in the morning and in the afternoon.
I didn't saw this “pet” at first, so I didn't ask why they keep on leash a stuffed dog with a bowl under this bench. I call it bench but probably it has some strange nautical name which I ignore.
Half of the crew on board was painting something or polishing brass. Here they did a really good work, even scraping the teak decking.
Everything was neatly stacked, coiled or folded in elegant wooden containers I would gladly take away home.
People were free to roam the main deck at their pleasure and to take pictures of everything they liked.
After the visit, looking back from the pier, I saw these sailors taking a well deserved moment of rest at the huge port anchor.
Maybe some of you will remember last month's post about Venetian Windows. This is another image about the same renovated and differently repainted couple of buildings.
Few days ago we showed you some empty shells pretending they were boats for some kind of race. Here is something more than our words: in mid-May the “gozzetta” of “Shangay-Torretta” (which in Italian sounds as a rhyme) is training in the “Porto Mediceo”.
Looking back in our files we have even found an image of the “gozzo” of “Salviano” already training in March, in front of the “Terrazza Mascagni”, where the “Palio” take place.
The “Amerigo Vespucci”, the top tall ship of the “Marina Militare” (Italian Navy), is back to Livorno, her home port. She'll leave within days with her normal crew of 16 officers, 70 NCOs and 200 sailors, with the addition of 200 midshipmen of the Naval Academy for the traditional summer training cruise.
I hope they will not end up relegated on the bowsprit as this unfortunate sailor during the mooring procedures.
Even the “ormeggiatori” (mooring dockworkers) take some time to snap each other photos with the sail ship in background. The Livornesi says that the “Vespucci” brings bad weather, but this was not true this time.
The “Vespucci” has 26 traditional canvas sails and even the rig is entirely made of hemp ropes. Only the mooring lines are synthetic to comply with maritime rules and regulations.
Except for the anchor, all the winches aboard are man-powered. On training cruises the ship is usually steered at the manual stern rudder station, operated by four steering wheels, each manned by two sailors. At other times, the hydraulically assisted steering on the bridge is used. The “Vespucci” is equipped with the latest electronic navigational instruments.
