Thanks to the importance of its port, Livorno is known also for being a city to stop in on the way to somewhere else. Livorno is connected since its origins to the sea and the presence of an Accademia Navale in town attests the origins and dependence by the sea of a lot of activities. But this town has much more to offer both from a cultural and artistical point of view, despite the loss of many monuments during the bombing of World War II.
After the dismantling of the port of Pisa the Port of Livorno gained importance during 1500/1600 and the town saw the arrival of many foreign communities like those British, French, Dutch, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Corsican, Swedish, Danish and Austrian. Such happenings gave origin to a multicultural and tolerant society that is - in some way - still active today. Symbols of this multiculturality are the many churches and cemeteries of different religions, like the presence of a synagogue for the Jewish community built in 1600s and in the past, the presence of libraries and theatres that represented the animation of the town as well as the growing of the editorial industry.
The most caractheristic places for art in town are two fortresses: the oldest one called Fortezza Vecchia - built during the 11th century - and the newer one called Fortezza Nuova and built towards the end of 1500s. These two fortresses were used for military purposes, to protect the town from external attacks.
Worth to visit is the Duomo of Livorno (Cattedrale di San Francesco), built around 1594/1606 following a project of Bernardo Buontalenti who put there a mixture of elements from late-Renaissance and elements of the national style of Etruria which had been revalued in those times.
Every year during the first week of August the manifestation "Effetto Venezia" in "Quartiere della Venezia" takes place, a typical area in Livorno whose aspects recall the city of Venice. This manifestation attracts many tourists.
In the end, a typical food of Livorno is the "Cacciucco", a traditional seafood dish made with different types of clams.