The longest promenade in Tuscany

Put on your most comfortable shoes and get ready to immerse yourself in a unique urban hiking experience. You will walk for seven kilometers accompanied by the intense blue of the sea along the longest promenade in Tuscany, which will take you from the Medici center to the southern edge of the city.

On one side, the sea, jetties, and beach resorts, on the other side, historic buildings and period villas. All amidst panoramas and scenic beauties that will appear to you in a different but always suggestive light in every season.

In spring, when the freshness of the sea releases its most intense and salty scents, in summer when the sun warms your skin inviting you for a refreshing swim, but also in autumn or winter, when sunsets become more intense or gales whip the coast of Livorno creating explosive and surprising natural landscapes.

The first stage

In the first part of this coastal route, you can explore the Porta a Mare. Here, a recent project of urban redevelopment has transformed the old Cantiere Navale Luigi Orlando into a modern and welcoming residential neighborhood with plenty of bars and restaurants.

Continuing your journey, you will reach the Scoglio della Regina, an extension on the sea, where, in the early 1800s, the queen of Etruria Maria Luisa di Borbone used to bathe, sheltered from prying eyes, in a tank carved between the rocks. Later becoming one of the city’s first beach resorts, it now houses the Interuniversity Center for Marine Biology.

But the real highlight of this first stretch of coast is undoubtedly the Terrazza Mascagni. An elegant balcony overlooking the sea, with its black and white checkered floor, will make you feel like you’re on a stage overlooking the infinite. If you arrive at sunset, sit on one of its characteristic semicircular benches and, admiring the view, wait for the old lampposts to light up to fully enjoy a romantic, unique, and enchanting experience. During the day, take advantage of a visit to the nearby Acquario Comunale to discover the many species of the local marine habitat.

After the Terrazza Mascagni, passing the historic beach establishment of Pancaldi, you will come to Piazza San Jacopo in Acquaviva. On one side, in the midst of small gardens, stands the statue of Benedetto Brin, on the other side, directly facing the sea, rises the Church of San Jacopo in Acquaviva, with its 12th-century crypt, and the statue of Pietro Leopoldo, behind which the structures of the Naval Academy begin: the prestigious institution responsible for the training of officers in the Italian Navy.

From here, just over 400 meters inland, you can easily visit the Museo Civico G. Fattori. Located inside the beautiful Villa Mimbelli and its lush park, it houses a precious collection of Macchiaioli and Postmacchiaioli painters’ works that are not to be missed.

Continuing south, along the Naval Academy for about a kilometer, you can admire a sequence of original eclectic Liberty style villas, a reminder of when staying in Livorno was a status symbol.

At the end of this stretch, one of the best-known viewpoints in Livorno opens up, called “gli Scogli dell’Accademia“: undoubtedly the most thrilling and engaging place from which to admire the splendor of Livorno’s sunsets, perhaps while sipping an aperitif with friends.

Continuing on, as you approach some of the city’s most popular beach resorts on the opposite side of the road, try to find the statue of the thinker Mino Trafeli: an evocative bronze sculpture contemplating the sea, much loved by Livornese people.

Shortly after that, you will pass by one of the most characteristic and significant architectures on the waterfront: i Casini di Ardenza. A neoclassical residential complex designed in 1841 by the architect Giuseppe Cappellini, consisting of a semi-circular center and two lateral wings.

Upon reaching the Casini di Ardenza, you just have to cross the street to reach the Rotonda d’Ardenza: a small circular pine grove from which to admire spectacular views of the Islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, marking the end of the first part of your walk.

Second stage

After passing the Rotonda, the second part of the walk opens up, which, among pitosphori, tamerici, and suggestive inlets, reaches Antignano: an ancient rural village that, with the development of the seaside promenade, has been gradually incorporated into the urban perimeter of Livorno.

For sports and nature lovers, this stretch offers an ideal setting for jogging, biking, surfing, kite-surfing, or simply relaxing on the meadows, caressed by the sea breeze.

If you don’t like running with the Tyrrhenian Sea in the background or cycling along the coast, at least enjoy the Antignano Staircase, a very special descent on comfortable and wide steps that will lead you gently down to sea level. The perfect place for a romantic sunset break, while the sun colors the sky with pastel shades.

A little further on, you will find the Ballerina Rock, whose name evokes a touching legend. It is said that a beautiful dancer, desperate for the death of her companion who was shipwrecked at sea, unable to bear the loss, decided to throw herself into the waves from that rock, dedicating a final dance to her beloved.

From this point onwards, the promenade, which ends one kilometer later at the Corsaro Beach, is interrupted by a series of villas overlooking the sea, interspersed with a few descents. The first one leads to the Antignano jetty and the Bagni Roma, the former residence of the Livorno composer Pietro Mascagni and a seaside resort awarded the Blue Flag.