Livorno, founded by the Medici family, grand dukes of Tuscany, as the 'ideal city', is recognizable by the imposing sight of the bastions of the Old Fortress (Fortezza Vecchia), overlooking the port. The Darsena Medicea, ancient pier of an inviting city, is a lively place to meet up and to stop off.

The Tuscan landscape starts from Livorno and opens up towards the Mediterranean sea with which it has a century old historical, commercial and cultural bond. The sea reaches deep into the historical quarters of the city through a series of canals called Canali Medicei making Livorno the only Tuscan city encircled by the Mediterranean. Its history, traditions, culture, intense sunsets, clear fragrant air, water sports, local cuisine all tell a story of the relationship between Livorno and the sea. The first seaside bathing stations in Europe began to emerge here in the 1800s together with the notion of seaside holidays. Precious treasures from the sea can be seen at the Natural History Museum and Aquarium.

Original features of the New Venice quarter, built in the 1600s, are still evident today. The Medici canals are particularly striking; a tight web of navigable canals that connected warehouses and merchants houses. They have their foundations and entrances in the water, just like in Venice, which lead into large rooms where they used to store goods.

Walking along via Borra you can admire the elegant architecture. The neighbourhood is rich in religious and public buildings like the Bottini dell'olio, which are beautiful vaulted warehouses for preserving oil, built in the 1700s, or like the Piazza della Repubblica which is still admired today for its unusual construction which is actually a very large bridge that covers a long stretch of the navigable canal.