Palio Marinaro

[Photos by Bizzi/Trifiletti]

The “Ovo Sodo” won its fourth “Palio Marinaro” in a row, leaving the second place to an angry “Venezia”, winner this year of the “Risiatori” and “Barontini” cups. The “Antignano” lost its “gozzo” and the “Borgo Cappuccini” regained its place in the ten rowers.The “Palio” was disputed last Sunday, but having no photos of ours we had to secure a couple of shots to show you something of the race. Any appreciation for the photographic part has to be addressed to the authors of these images.
This is our first post from abroad, our annual transition from the Pentagon to the Hexagon happened this night.

See also: Gozzi & Gozzette - Training - Collision Course
Search labels: rowing

Versione italiana

Crane Carrier

If you need a couple of cranes you may browse some catalogs, read Crane Today (it does really exists!) and then order what you like more. What about delivery? Here is your crane carrier!

Sidewalk Parking

Please don't ask me what kind of car is this four-wheel bathtub, in fact I'd like to know it myself. Here everybody parks everything almost everywhere but, if he has choice, on the sidewalk is better. Against any parking law.In Livorno you can easily spot an SUV towering on a narrow traffic island at the intersection of two streets, impeding view and passage.Even if it is quite difficult to climb a curb with a “Piaggio Ape”, they simply can't resist...

Pirates

We have already seen that “MSC Sinfonia” is a regular visitor to the port of Livorno. After some misadventures in the Indian Ocean of the “MSC Melody”, run by the same operator, she began to displays a large banner saying: “For security reason do not approach closer than 50 meters”.On the night of 25th April 2009, about 200 miles north of the Seychelles, security forces onboard the “MSC Melody” returned fire after pirates attacked the ship with automatic weapons. “MSC Sinfonia” usually stays inside the Mediterranean and her ports of call are: Monte Carlo, Valencia, Ibiza, Tunisi, Catania, Naples and Livorno. Nowhere near the Indian Ocean, but better to stay on the safe side.

See also: Italian cruise ship foils pirates (BBC News)

Lion Heads

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 Knockers

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.

On Board

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.

Search labels: Amerigo Vespucci
External links: Amerigo Vespucci (Wikipedia)