Mercato Centrale

Livorno

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The largest covered market in Italy, this 95m-long neoclassical building miraculously survived Allied WWII bombing. Arresting both gastronomically and architecturally, its central hall with emerald-green painted steelwork is a real feast for the eyes. Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani (1184–1920) once had his studio on the upper floor (now offices).

After wandering the aisles, enjoy lunch, a snack or an aperitivo at the excellent Alle Vettovaglie. Other businesses to investigate include coffee roaster Torrefazione Caffè San Paulo, gluten-free bakery Manalù and pasta shop Pastificio Chiesa. The latter is known for its gold-leaf-filled pasta, which sells internationally for over €200 per piece. Bizarre.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • The last of the three major buildings on the piazza to be built, construction of the bell tower began in 1173 and took place in three stages over the course of 177 years, with the bell-chamber only added in 1372. Five years after construction began, when the building had reached the third floor level, the weak subsoil and poor foundation led to the building sinking on its south side 1264707656

    Leaning Tower

    12.67 MILES

    One of Italy's signature sights, the Torre Pendente truly lives up to its name, leaning a startling 3.9 degrees off the vertical. The 58m-high tower,…

  • Leaning tower of Pisa, Italy Piazza del Duomo ; Shutterstock ID 456166966; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Duomo

    12.68 MILES

    Pisa's magnificent duomo was begun in 1064 and consecrated in 1118. Its striking tiered exterior, with green-and-cream marble cladding, gives onto a…

  • Cattedrale di San Martino

    Cattedrale di San Martino

    22.29 MILES

    Lucca's predominantly Romanesque cathedral dates from the 11th century. Its stunning facade was constructed in the prevailing Lucca-Pisan style and…

  • battistero duomo & leaning tower of pisa tuscany italy

    Battistero

    12.65 MILES

    Pisa's unusual round baptistry has one dome piled on top of another, each roofed half in lead, half in tiles, and topped by a gilt bronze John the Baptist…

  • City Wall

    City Wall

    22.59 MILES

    Lucca’s monumental mura (wall) was built around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries and remains in almost perfect condition. It superseded two…

  • Palazzo Pfanner

    Palazzo Pfanner

    22.53 MILES

    Fire the romantic in you with a stroll around this beautiful 17th-century palace where parts of Portrait of a Lady (1996), starring Nicole Kidman and John…

  • Santuario della Madonna di Montenero

    Santuario della Madonna di Montenero

    4.79 MILES

    The story goes like this: in 1345, the Virgin Mary appeared to a shepherd, who led her to monte nero (black mountain), a haven of brigands. Needless to…

  • Museo Etrusco Guarnacci

    Museo Etrusco Guarnacci

    29.59 MILES

    The vast collection of artefacts exhibited here makes this one of Italy's most impressive Etruscan collections. Found locally, they include some 600…

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Nearby Livorno attractions

1. Chiesa Olandese-Alemanna

0.09 MILES

This Neo-Gothic Protestant church was built in 1864 for the use of Livorno's Dutch-German community. It's now permanently closed.

2. Chiesa dei Greci Uniti

0.17 MILES

This Greek Orthodox church was built in 1607, acquired its magnificent baroque facade in the 18th century and became a Catholic church after WWII. The…

3. Chiesa della Madonna

0.19 MILES

This Franciscan church, with notably plain and stark facade, was built in the 17th century by foreign communities of the Catholic faith living in Livorno…

4. Sinagoga di Livorno

0.19 MILES

Livorno's huge concrete synagogue, built between 1958 and 1962, occupies the site of a 17th-century predecessor that was badly damaged by Allied bombs in…

5. Chiesa di San Gregorio degli Armeni

0.22 MILES

All but destroyed in a WWII bombing, the once-graceful baroque-style facade – gated and chained today – is all that remains of the early 18th-century…

6. Fortezza Nuova

0.27 MILES

Built for the Medicis between 1590 and 1604, this hulk of a red-brick fort in Piccola Venezia is a pale shade of its 17th-century magnificent self…

7. Piccola Venezia

0.36 MILES

Piccola Venezia is a tangle of small canals built during the 17th century, using Venetian methods of reclaiming land from the sea. At its heart sits the…

8. Monumento dei Quattro Mori

0.4 MILES

Pietro Tacca's 1626 statue of Grand Duke Ferdinand I of Tuscany and four chained African slaves was commissioned to commemorate Ferdinand's victories over…