Visitors to Livorno now have a comprehensive way to explore the history and culture of the city through art, photographs, relics and archaeological remains. The City Museum of Livorno (Museo della Città) opened on April 30 on the ground floor of the former Bottini dell’Olio in the heart of La Venezia, a historic Livorno neighbourhood. With a mix of sacred and contemporary art, the museum is the final element of a new cultural complex inaugurated in the Bottini last December. Around 600 artworks form the permanent collection, joined by archaeological artifacts, all objects illustrating specific moments in Livorno’s history.
Two rooms in the civic art section are dedicated to the city’s famous symbol, Pietro Tacca’s Monument of the Four Moors; his preliminary sketch is featured. Moving through the museum, visitors will explore topics such as Bernardo Buontalenti’s city planning carried out at the end of the 16th century; the creation of the city’s La Venezia area; and the construction of the Leopoldino Aqueduct and Teatro Goldoni. An extensive collection of sacred art is also displayed, including 14th century frescoes from the Sambuca Hermitage.
Events from the 19th and 20th centuries are touched upon, with a display of some of Garibaldi’s possessions to honor the city’s key role in Italian Unification, as well as the Italian Communist Party’s first-ever flag, stitched by comrades from Livorno in 1921. A contemporary art section with works by Pino Pascali and Tancredi rounds out Livorno’s more recent history.