Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Zim Texas

Container ship Zim Texas, IMO 9471238, port of Livorno
The 261-meter container ship “Zim Texas” entering the port of Livorno.
Tug Francesca Neri, IMO 9239290, port of Livorno
Tug Porto di Livorno, IMO 9393113, port of Livorno
She was assisted by the tugs “Francesca Neri” and “Porto di Livorno”.
Container ship Zim Texas, IMO 9471238, port of Livorno
The “Zim Texas” has a capacity of 4,200 TEU (Twenty-foot equivalent unit), but the ship is loaded mostly with forty-foot containers (2 TEU each). (Photos taken last April)

External links: Twenty-foot equivalent unit (Wikipedia)
Search labels: tug

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

September Cat

Cat, Via Accademia Labronica, Livorno
A quite surprised cat, in Via Accademia Labronica.

Search labels: cat

Monday, September 28, 2015

The Japanese Bridge

Studio Bonsai Livorno, Via Cecconi, Livorno
When I visited the lovely garden of the Studio Bonsai this was my favorite place: an artificial small pond with an unpainted soribashi bridge.
Studio Bonsai Livorno, Via Cecconi, Livorno
Studio Bonsai Livorno, Via Cecconi, Livorno
The pond has water lilies, fishes, and even a small artificial fall.
Studio Bonsai Livorno, Via Cecconi, Livorno
What more one can ask for on a hot summer day in town? (Photos taken last August)

See also: Studio Bonsai Livorno

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Church of San Benedetto

Church of San Benedetto, Piazza XX Settembre, Livorno
Inside the church of San Benedetto there is still the organ used by the young Pietro Mascagni to practice music.
Old postcard, church of San Benedetto, Piazza XX Settembre, Livorno
In this postcard of the first years of the last century we can see that there were much less cars around.
(Postcard digitized from the collection of Antonio Cantelli)

See also: San Benedetto - Budded Crosses - Mascagni's Organ - Four Angels
External links: Pietro Mascagni (Wikipedia)
Search labels: postcard

Friday, September 25, 2015

More Curiosities

Livorno
“Pedestrians to the left” - “Pedestrians to the right”

Livorno
Livorno
A windmill toy made of plastic bottles
“It's my fault” - “It's your fault”

See also: Theme Day: Curiosities - Curiosities - More Curiosities

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Via dei Fanciulli

Corner building between Via dei Fanciulli and Via Sansoni, Livorno
The corner building between Via dei Fanciulli and Via Sansoni. Via dei Fanciulli (Street of the Young Boys) took its name around 1860 from a nearby Jewish school which attracted a lot of children. Eugenio Sansoni (1828-1906) was the first mayor of Livorno. (Photo taken last July)

Search labels: corner

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Tavolara (A 5367)

Navy ship Tavolara A 5367, port of Livorno
The “Tavolara” (A 5367) is a navigational aid tender of the Italian Navy, launched in 1988.
Navy ship Tavolara A 5367, port of Livorno
Italian Navy flag, port of Livorno
The vessel of the Ponza Class is equipped with a crane and it is usually employed for the maintenance of the coastal signalling. She is also employed for other logistic activities as supplying water, fuel or other goods to naval ships or small islands. (Photos taken in April and May)

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Sparrows

Female sparrows, Porto Mediceo, Livorno
A couple of female sparrows on the rocks at the entrance of the Porto Mediceo.

Search labels: bird

Monday, September 21, 2015

Bells of Most Holy Trinity

Bell tower, church of the Most Holy Trinity, Borgo dei Cappuccini, Livorno
“Sanctissimo Jesu Christi Aeterni Regis Cordi” (To the Most Holy Heart of Eternal King Jesus Christ).
Bell tower, church of the Most Holy Trinity, Borgo dei Cappuccini, Livorno
Bell, church of the Most Holy Trinity, Borgo dei Cappuccini, Livorno
Details from the bell tower of the church of the Most Holy Trinity in Borgo dei Cappuccini.

See also: Santissima Trinità - Cappuccini - The Most Holy Trinity - Inside Most Holy Trinity

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Scoglio della Regina

Former sea resort Scoglio della Regina, Livorno
Last July: the buildings of the former sea resort “Scoglio della Regina” undergoing a long process of restauration.
Old postcard, Bagni Scoglio della Regina, Livorno
Almost the same view in a postcard of the first years of the last century.
(Postcard digitized from the collection of Antonio Cantelli)

See also: A “Horror” Revisited - Almost Finished
Search labels: postcard

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Hygieia

Statue of Hygieia, Parterre, Livorno
The statue of Hygieia, now at the entrance of the “Parterre”, was once part of a fountain designed in 1838 by the architect Pasquale Poccianti, and formerly located at the intersection of Via Garibaldi with Via Galilei.

See also: Parterre - Bowl of Hygieia - More Hygieia - The Gate of the Parterre
External links: Hygieia (Wikipedia)

Friday, September 18, 2015

Bakeries

La Boutique del Pane, Via Roma, Livorno
“La Boutique del Pane” (The Bread Boutique) in Via Roma.
Panificio Briciola, Corso Mazzini, Livorno
Il Forno Saraceno. Piazza XX Settembre, Livorno
The “Panificio Briciola” (Crumb Bakery) in Corso Mazzini, “Il Forno Saraceno” (The Saracen Bakery) in Piazza XX Settembre.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Another Dormer

Dormer window, Scali Rosciano, Livorno
An unusual dormer window on Scali Rosciano, seen from the other side of the canal, from Scali del Monte Pio.

See also: Dormer - On the Roofs of Venice - Chimneys and Antennas
External links: Dormer (Wikipedia)

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The Sailor and the Statue

Ferry Sardinia Vera, IMO 7360617, port of Livorno
The ferry “Sardinia Vera” maneuvering inside the Porto Mediceo.
Ferry Sardinia Vera, IMO 7360617, port of Livorno
One of her sailor has also a curious face to face with the “Madonna dei Popoli” at the entrance of the port.
(Photo taken last June)
See also: Sardinia Vera - Madonna dei Popoli

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

London

Boeing 737-330 Jet2.com, Livorno
A Jet2.com Boeing 737-330 from Manchester is almost ready to land at the airport of Pisa.
(Picture taken in August 2014)
We are leaving for London today: we will be posting from there for a couple of weeks...

Monday, September 14, 2015

Piazza Barriera Garibaldi

Livorno
The original blocks of public housing around Piazza della Barriera Garibaldi were built in the late Twenties of the last century on a project of the architect Ghino Venturi.
Livorno
Livorno
Heavily damaged by the war, these buildings were rebuilt following the same design to speed up the reconstruction effort. Only recently some have been fitted with external lifts.

See also: Barriera Garibaldi - Fiera di Sant'Antonino

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Studio Bonsai Livorno

Studio Bonsai Livorno, Via Cecconi, Livorno
I don't know much about bonsai trees, but I was quite happy to find this place, a garden in Via Cecconi, open on a very hot Sunday August morning. The mature trees are neatly arranged in display pots, some also have fruits.
Studio Bonsai Livorno, Via Cecconi, Livorno
Studio Bonsai Livorno, Via Cecconi, Livorno
In a nursery of sorts the younger plants are kept in temporary pots. Here is Gian Carlo, my guide for this visit.

External links: Bonsai (Wikipedia)

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Darsena Nuova

This image was made stitching two photos together to get the whole “Darsena Nuova” (New Harbor), as it can be seen from the Swing Bridge.
Darsena Nuova, Livorno
Scali Novi Lena run along the whitish line on the left and the dark square openings below are the “cantine”, like the “cantina” of Maurizio and Luciano. You can easily see the dark yellow building of my Starling Guano post, Palazzo Orlando, and the new shopping center. On the right a glimpse of the Big Blue Shed.

See also: Swing Bridge - Palazzo Orlando - Scali Novi Lena - From the Swing Bridge - Scali Novi Lena at Sunset - A New Shopping Center - Cantina of Maurizio and Luciano - Starling Guano - The Big Blue Shed

Friday, September 11, 2015

Curiosities

Spirit Lake Tribe plate on a bicycle, Via del Molo Mediceo, Livorno
A Spirit Lake Tribe plate from North Dakota on a bicycle in Via del Molo Mediceo.
Commercial Departement Containers, Via Paleocapa, Livorno
Elementary school Renato Natali, Via Antonio Corazzi, Livorno
A cubic world on the sign of an international freight forwarder in Via Paleocapa and a very strange building, which is part of an elementary school in Via Corazzi.

See also: Theme Day: Curiosities
External links: Spirit Lake Tribe (Wikipedia)

Thursday, September 10, 2015

L'infinito

It doesn't happen every day to see a real poem written on a rolling shutter: Trillian and I found this on our way to the supermarket, in Via Bernardina. “L'infinito” (The Infinite) is one of the most famous poems written by one of our greatest poets: Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837).
L'infinito, The Infinite by Giacomo Leopardi, Via Bernardina, Livorno
L'infinito

Sempre caro mi fu quest’ermo colle,
e questa siepe, che da tanta parte
dell’ultimo orizzonte il guardo esclude.
Ma sedendo e mirando, interminati
spazi di là da quella, e sovrumani
silenzi, e profondissima quiete
io nel pensier mi fingo; ove per poco
il cor non si spaura. E come il vento
odo stormir tra queste piante, io quello
infinito silenzio a questa voce
vo comparando: e mi sovvien l’eterno,
e le morte stagioni, e la presente
e viva, e il suon di lei. Così tra questa
immensità s’annega il pensier mio:
e il naufragar m’è dolce in questo mare.
(Giacomo Leopardi, 1819) 
The Infinite

This lonely hill was always dear to me,
and this hedgerow, which cuts off the view
of so much of the last horizon.
But sitting here and gazing, I can see
beyond, in my mind’s eye, unending spaces,
and superhuman silences, and depthless calm,
till what I feel
is almost fear. And when I hear
the wind stir in these branches, I begin
comparing that endless stillness with this noise:
and the eternal comes to mind,
and the dead seasons, and the present
living one, and how it sounds.
So my mind sinks in this immensity:
and floundering is sweet in such a sea.

(Translated by Jonathan Galassi)

You will find several more English translations following the Wikipedia link.

External links: L'infinito - Giacomo Leopardi (Wikipedia)

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

MSC Diego

The final chapter of this series on the early morning traffic of our port.
Tug Porto Baratti, IMO 9167887, container ship MSC Diego, IMO 9202649, port of Livorno
At 8:14 AM the tug “Porto Baratti” is leading the “MSC Diego” out of the port.
Container ship MSC Diego, IMO 9202649, tug Tito Neri, IMO 9319167, port of Livorno
Container ship MSC Diego, IMO 9202649, tug Tito Neri, IMO 9319167, port of Livorno
At 8:16 AM the 260-meter container ship is in full view. At 8:19 AM the tug “Tito Neri” is visible at the stern.

Before Dawn - Atlantide II - Mega Andrea - Norwegian Epic - Oceana - Tugs - Island Princess - The Rower
- The Red Fishing Boat

See also: Porto Baratti - Tito Neri
Search labels: tug

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Ela

Ela, Scoglio della Regina, Livorno
I was taking some pictures of the Big Blue Shed, when I saw Ela in the water...

See also: The Big Blue Shed - Almost Finished

Monday, September 7, 2015

Inside Most Holy Trinity

Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Borgo dei Cappuccini, Livorno
The interior of the church of the Most Holy Trinity.
Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Borgo dei Cappuccini, Livorno
Statue of Saint Francis of Assisi by Cesare Tarrini, Livorno
A lunette above the entrance of a side building and a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, a work by the local sculptor Cesare Tarrini, inaugurated in 1987 for the centenary of the parish.

See also: Santissima Trinità - Cappuccini - The Most Holy Trinity
External links: Francis of Assisi (Wikipedia)