People

Interview with cartoonist Daniele Caluri

Daniele CaluriDaniele Caluri is a well-known cartoonist from Livorno. His successful career began at Il Vernacoliere, the city's satirical magazine which is read all over Italy.

How was it that you started working with Il Vernacoliere at the age of 14?

In a very ordinary way: at school, a friend and I used to draw humorous cartoons during lessons we weren’t interested in. We would pass them back and forth under the desk to make each other laugh (and to get each other sent out of the classroom). Once I managed to get my friend thrown out of class because he was in such fits of laughter, and afterwards I decided to post the cartoon that had made him laugh so much in the letter box of the Il Vernacoliere magazine, close to my school. A month later it was published and I’ve been collaborating with the magazine ever since, for the past 26 years.

Alessandro Avelardi

A Family Man Running a Family Business

Cristiano Grasso

Choirmaster with a Spring in his Step

Cristiano GrassoCristiano Grasso was born in 1973 in Cecina, a small town by the sea in the province of Livorno, although he now lives in Livorno. Cristiano’s passion is for music, as shown by his very busy schedule as school teacher, piano teacher and choirmaster of three different choirs here in Livorno.

Elena Batazzi

Young Journalist and Promoter of Local Youth Culture in Livorno

Elena in her favourite place, by the sea in LivornoElena Batazzi was born in Livorno in 1981 and has lived here ever since. She has always had a passion for writing, and in 2003, while studying for a degree in Political Science at Pisa University, she managed to gain a work placement for a period of two months at the local Livorno newspaper, Il Tirreno. She is now a regular contributor to the paper.

Federica Tucci

Passionate about Tourism and Motorbikes

Federica TucciFederica Tucci was born in Livorno in 1973. She lives in Livorno with her long-time partner Antonio, and manages her own business, TFL Tours, which takes up most of her time and energy.

Federica started working in the tourist industry when she was only 20, accompanying groups of visitors on tours around Italy while also studying for a degree in languages at the University of Pisa.

Giacomo Riggi

Percussionist and Composer, mad about Jazz

Giacomo Riggi on drumsGiacomo Riggi Mazzone was born into a family where music was already a dominant feature (his grandfather Tony Mazzone owns the well-known music shop in Livorno), so perhaps inevitably he grew up to study percussion instruments at the Istituto Mascagni in Livorno, under the guidance of Jonata Faralli.

Giles Foster and Soul Contact

An Anglo-Livornese Collaboration

Giles Foster13 June 2008 Giles Foster has lived and worked in Livorno for longer than he probably cares to remember, but he is originally from Salisbury in England and comes from a family of musicians. He had his first experience of Rock music at the age of 8, when his father first brought a TV home. Ever since then he has been passionate about music, singing and playing the acoustic guitar in his own band, and writing his own songs which communicate his great love of life.

Greta Merli

Making her Way to a Career in Music

Greta Merli, guitarist and vocalistGreta was born in Livorno in 1983 and lives here in Livorno with her mum. She first became involved in music at the age of 10 when she started piano lessons, following in the footsteps of her older brother who works as a professional pianist in Mantova.

The piano was not for Greta, however, and after a year she decided to start learning how to play classical guitar at the Rodolfo del Corona school in Livorno. Some years later she met guitarist Simone Ricci and eventually began lessons with him, finally breaking away from classical guitar to develop her talents in modern guitar.

Greta’s favourite musicians include The Police, Michael Jackson, Prince, Cindi Lauper, Suzanne Vega, and in Italy Eros Ramazzotti and Irene Grandi.

It wasn’t until 3 or 4 years ago, though, that Greta began to seriously consider music as a career.

Maria Grazia Bertini

Dedicated to Livorno's Primary School Children since 1972

Maria Grazia Bertini, primary school teacherMaria Grazia was born in Livorno in 1952. She is married to Renzo, and has two sons. Having had a ‘bad teacher’ at primary school herself, she decided at an early age that she wanted to dedicate her working life to teaching children. She started her teaching career in 1972 and has worked in many of Livorno’s primary schools. She has worked at the Natali school since 1997.

Maria Grazia is one of those teachers dedicated 100% to her job and to the children she teaches. She believes wholeheartedly in school as an institution and in the importance of her job.

Paolo Gioli

Dedicated to his Family and Friends, and to Paolo GioliMontenero

Paolo Gioli describes himself as a born and bred ‘Montenerino’ since he has always lived in the hillside village of Montenero, just south of Livorno. Montenero, he says, is ‘in my blood’. He was born in 1963 and lives with his wife, Tiziana, and two daughters. Having started work at the age of seventeen, Paolo now runs, with two partners, a successful company, Labrochem, which he set up in 1989. The company makes chemical products for the cleaning of industrial machinery, especially in the tanning industry.