History

The construction of the Fortezza Nuova began in the 1590s. Although it was not in the original project of the city, it expressed the will of the Grand Duke Ferdinand the First of the Medici, who had recently ascended the throne of Tuscany, to strongly want the construction of this great fortress to defend Livorno.

The project was carried out by the architect Bernardo Bontalenti, but part of the group of architects who worked on the construction of the walls expressed some doubts regarding its gigantic size, which led it to be the second fortress in Tuscany by perimeter of the walls, reaching more than 1,500 meters. To complete the interior tour of the walls, it took more than 20 minutes on foot.

The fortress was not only a structure where soldiers were stationed for defense against external enemies and control of the city from hypothetical revolts, but a symbol of welcome for important guests such as princes, cardinals, popes, emperors, who came to visit Livorno, especially from the land route, entering from the Pisa Gate, which was located next to the Fortezza Nuova, and for those arriving through the famous Navicelli Canal, an artificial canal dug in the 15th century, which connected Livorno to the Arno River and the city of Pisa.

Therefore, those who arrived by carriage or on board from the Arno River were welcomed with cannon shots loaded with blanks that fired from the walls.

In its life, the fortress underwent a great change, because a century after its construction, the old question of its large dimensions joined another problem of the time: the city's population had greatly increased, and there was a need for a new district.

In 1690, it was therefore decided to demolish approximately 60% of the Fortezza Nuova, and in this new space, the expansion of the now-famous Venice Nova district was created, with its characteristic bridges, canals, which can still be visited today on the back of the fortress.

However, the structure did not lose its military power. It was modernized and defended by 40 cannons.

Particular is the story of the Midday Cannon, which came into operation in the fortress in 1889 and fired exactly at 12:00, and which suggested to the women of Livorno that the time had come to start setting the table.

The fortress remained a military garrison of the city of Livorno for many centuries, from the soldiers armed with arquebuses, pikes, and swords from the early 16th century, to the modern soldiers of the first decade of the 19th century.

There was a particular moment in the history of the fortress following the Second World War. Livorno was a city terribly bombed during the conflict, and most of the inhabitants fled to the surrounding countryside for many months. But many of them returned at the end of the war to find their homes destroyed.

Temporary houses, called shacks, were therefore built as a shelter for the poorest families, who did not have the possibility of new accommodation after the war.

The fortress, therefore, became a new district of Livorno, hosting the famous shacks, a community that made this ancient military garrison the place of their daily life.

And the birth of a famous legend is due to the children of this community. One of the most played games was to explore the ancient underground tunnels, and one day, a group of boys discovered a tunnel which, so they said, passed under the large canal until reaching the opposite bank.

This legendary passage was called the Seventh Gallery.

The last shacks were demolished in 1968, and in 1972, the Municipality of Livorno transformed the fortress into a public park, as you can still see today.

And even today, the red brick walls of the Fortezza Nuova, after more than four centuries, are reflected in the waters of the large canal, in an uninterrupted dialogue of stories, legends, and secrets yet to be discovered.