Enjoying Local Cuisine & Mercado Centrale in Livorno, Italy

City Hall dominates Piazza Municipio in Livorno, Italy, a port city that is regarded by many Ship passengers as the gateway to nearby Florence, but it has a history as a global trading port in the 17^th century that resulted in its reputation as a multicultural city throughout Europe

 
For those arriving by sea on a large ship, Livorno may merely appear to be a gateway to nearby Florence and the surrounding Tuscan towns such as Pisa, Lucca, and Bolgheri, but its contrast of old and new hides a few surprises of its own, including some of the best seafood on the Tyrrhenian coast. Its history as a global trading port in the 17^th century resulted in its reputation as a multicultural city throughout Europe. From the port of Livorno, we took a shuttle bus into town to the central Piazza della Repubblica and the nearby Duomo di Livorno. We then walked along the canals in Piccola Venezia (Little Venice), near the Fortezza Nuova, and found a great local restaurant for lunch.
 

The Bank of Italy and Chamber of Commerce buildings line opposite corners of Piazza Municipio in Livorno, Italy

There are only a few places left where you can still find torta di ceci or Cecina, a chickpea flour pancake, that is a specialty of Livorno, Italy, and is made by mixing chickpea flour with water, salt and extra virgin olive oil; this cecina restaurant, Gagarin, was hidden away (no signage) directly across from the central market — we were tipped off to its location by a local

Mercado Centrale, the large central market, in Livorno, Italy, is an enormous building packed with 200 stalls and 34 shops, making it a great place for shopping and people watching

A butcher awaiting customers at his stall in the Mercado Centrale, the large central market

Boats docked in the center of the city along the waterways of Nuovo Venezia (New Venice), near Fortezza Nuova (the new fort) in Livorno, Italy