Livorno’s football club was founded in 1904 when the game was introduced to the city by the son of the British viceconsul who is said to have learned the rules by watching British sailors play on the docks.

Fans of Livorno are well-known for their exuberant and sometimes unruly behaviour. They  went wild in 2004 when the team was promoted to Serie A for the first time in more than fifty years. The team’s top striker, Cristiano Lucarelli (who has now left the team - see article below), is a local player who famously gave up a top player’s salary to stay with his home team. This is what he said about his decision:

"Some players buy themselves a yacht or a Ferrari with a billion lira. I bought myself a Livorno shirt."!

Livorno's Armando Picchi football stadium in ArdenzaThe team’s  colour is amaranto (burgundy) and the Armando Picchi stadium is located outside town in Ardenza. It has a capacity of 18,000.

How to get to the stadium:

Take bus number 1 from the Station or from Piazza Grande to Ardenza Mare, then walk about 200m from there.  Alternatively take bus number 5 from Piazza Grande which goes right to the stadium.