Piazza della Repubblica

View of Piazza della RepubblicaPiazza della Repubblica is the biggest Piazza in Livorno, situated at the far end of Via Grande. It is a major traffic hub, like a huge roundabout, with Via Garibaldi, Via de Larderel, Via Grande, Via degli Avvalorati and other minor roads all leading off it in different directions (of course). At one end lies the Fortezza Nuova, while the middle of the Piazza is an ample paved area which actually forms a huge vault over the underlying Fosso Reale ('royal canal'), hence the former name of the square, Il Voltone. If you take one of the boat trips along Livorno's canals, you will pass right under Piazza della Repubblica.

Statue of Ferdinando III with the Fortezza Nuova in the background: Piazza della RepubblicaThe Piazza is dominated by two imposing statues, one at each end: on the Fortezza Nuova side stands Ferdinando III, while Leopoldo II stands opposite. Surrounding the square are an array of 19th-century buildings, on ground level housing a variety of bars and shops. There are some pay-parking spaces at the Fortezza end (parking meter), and on the Via de Larderel side (buy parking scratch cards at €1 per hour - maximum 2 hours -  from tobacconists or news kiosks). 

To see where to find Piazza della Repubblica, click here