Cacciucco alla livornese: from market to table

There are those who come here and those who leave here by ship; people who stop by just to spend a day on the rocks by the sea. Actually, Livorno should be discovered slowly, walking through its narrow streets, discovering its fascinating Medici canals, visiting its neighbourhoods, browsing the corridors of the old central market, talking with the city’s friendly people or over a dish of cacciucco fish stew.

Livorno is situated 20 kilometers from Pisa and 100 from Florence (it's very well connected from Pisa or Florence by train). It's the most important port city in Tuscany, a cosmopolitan and multicultural city, with a huge immigrant community. It's where the Italian Communist party originates from and it's famous throughout Italy for its Vernacoliere, an Italian monthly satirical magazine.

It was built under the Medici family during the Renaissance as the “ideal Italian city”, with fortified walls, ramparts and canals. But Livorno is more than this: it's all about its vibrant people and the lightness of the sea breeze.