Francesca Morucci and Massimiliano Barbera
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the beginning of 2024 between Livorno Municipality, the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority and the Maremma & Tyrrhenian Chamber of Commerce to implement measures to complete the program designed to enhance the Livorno Old Fortress.
The Old Fortress, in the context of Livorno’s historical heritage, is certainly the most representative building in the history of the city and its port, connecting the sea with the land. It is, indeed, at the same time, a historic port/city interface, a dynamic past/present waterfront landmark and a new planning tool for the port/city relationship. Some key elements of its multifunctional role, from different points of view, are:
- Physical position: It is in the passenger terminal area, directly on the interface and close to the economic and commercial center of Livorno, which makes it a crucial — material and immaterial — point of exchange. It serves as the main gateway to the city for people coming from the sea and, at the same time, near the district named “Venezia,” a sort of crossroads between port and city.
- Cultural importance: It belongs to the city and to the port's history, but it also represents a place where new activities are running.
- Social activity: It is a new public place for inhabitants and tourists.
- Environmental chances: It is a sort of oasis in the port and city, thanks to its position and its walls which provide shelter from port and city traffic.
Since 2013, the Old Fortress has been managed by Livorno Port Authority (since 2016, the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority) by virtue of temporary concessions signed with its former owners, the State Property Agency and the Chamber of Commerce. The Port Network Authority manages the monument in line with the strategies of its owners, aiming to enhance its historical, cultural, promotional, tourist and educational perspectives through an increasingly effective synergy between public institutions, with a view to promoting our port city and its traffic. Thanks to routine maintenance and safety measures, renovation, recovery and restoration, the Fortress, one of Livorno’s greatest testimonies of engineering and architecture, has finally become accessible and can be visited free of charge six days a week. Some areas once abandoned have been brought back to life: the North Galleries, the Ferretti Congress Hall, the courtyards, squares, and paths along the ramparts. The Port Authority also promotes a constantly developing cultural program, hosting dozens of events. Through cultural and social events, congress, and debates, the Port Authority devises ways to rediscover a forgotten place linked to the collective imagination. In the last 10 years, the monument has become a place open to several users: citizens, schools and universities, tourists, cruise and ferry passengers, port users as well as the employees of the various services connected with port activity, journalists and other carriers of specific interests.
Since November 2015, the Old Fortress program has been improved by the installation of the Livorno Port Center at the center of the monument. Since its opening, the Port Center has been running an educational program that contributes to raising the profile and the image of the port and represents a crucial instrument in regenerating the connection between the port and citizens.
The Memorandum signed at the beginning of 2024 between Livorno Municipality, the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority and the Maremma & Tyrrhenian Chamber of Commerce is preparatory to the ongoing cultural federalism process running from late 2024 to early 2025. This process will allow Livorno Municipality to become the owner of the upper part of the Old Fortress, which currently belongs to the State Property Office. The acquisition process started with an asset enhancement project that includes a series of upgrades to the monument, including structural ones. The signing of the MoU permits the Municipality to acquire legal authorization also from the Chamber of Commerce (owner of the galleries) to be able to work in the area below ground level as well and to ensure that the Port Authority continues to manage the Old Fortress.
The agreement is the culmination of a long, complex process developed since 2013 in collaboration with the public bodies involved. This process is significant not only from a technical point of view but also from a political one. The partnership between the Municipal Administration, the Chamber of Commerce and the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority will allow continued synergic joint management of the Old Fortress, coordinated by the Port Network Authority. Tuscany Regional Administration has set aside EUR 3 million, while the Municipality has added another EUR 3 million for this project. Together with the Chamber of Commerce, they welcome the Port Network Authority’s commitment to continue managing the structure in an exemplary fashion. Following the signing of this document, technical round tables have been held in order to define the final agreement for cultural federalism, which has been validated by the Culture Ministry’s Regional Secretariat for Tuscany.
In the perspective of the imminent conclusion of the state property federalism procedure, the MoU not only represents the formal renewal of the concession the Port Authority has been entrusted with by the State Property Agency and the Chamber of Commerce since 2013, but also the legal-administrative ratification of the relationship between port and city. The relaunch and renewal of the Old Fortress management process is indeed a long-standing challenge, as well as a central issue for the city’s current and future cultural, tourism and port-maritime policy strategies. The signing of this MoU is very important not only because the Old Fortress is one of Livorno’s most important and prestigious monuments but also because its enhancement is strategic for redeveloping the city’s cultural tourism, which has been steadily increasing over the last few years.
As with many new sustainable port cities, nowadays Livorno is linked to its past while being projected to the future. It is in a phase of its development, devising a new port-city interface and new ways of planning the city with the port through a mix of functions often displayed on the waterfront. One of the main objectives for Livorno's urban planning, in fact, is to upgrade and restore the areas of interface between city and harbor while meeting new requirements to remain a competitive port. From this perspective, the Old Fortress represents an asset of a local regional policy designed to attract and develop both cruise and ferry passenger traffic.
Its proximity to the modern port terminals makes it an accessible and picturesque first stop for passengers arriving via cruise ships and ferries. The fortress not only serves as a cultural attraction but also functions as a gateway to the city, enticing tourists to explore further and creating a dynamic bridge between Livorno’s historical significance and contemporary tourism. Its panoramic views of the harbor and the Tyrrhenian Sea are particularly popular with visitors, providing a unique backdrop for photography and a relaxing introduction to the region. By integrating the Old Fortress into the itinerary of cruise and ferry passengers, Livorno capitalizes on its dual identity as a historical destination and a thriving maritime hub, ensuring a memorable experience for travelers.
In conclusion, the Old Fortress will continue to be a microcosmo in which innovation, mixed uses, accessibility to the public and environmental and social excellence are the guiding principles. This monumental complex, felt in the last 50 years as a port interstitial space and a point of separation between city and port, can now, after several attempts, be considered as an example of good practice for a social return on investment in redevelopment projects of the port-city interface.
By planning its future and developing its own touristic and cultural potential while embracing its port identity, Livorno will develop an innovative urban, social and territorial cohesion. It aims to become a laboratory for other port cities of the North Tyrrhenian Port Network, capable of reinventing themselves, reacting to challenges and integrating diverse interests.
Acknowledgements
This blog post has been written in the context of discussions in the LDE PortCityFutures research community. It reflects the evolving thoughts of the authors and expresses the discussions between researchers on the socio-economic, spatial and cultural questions surrounding port city relationships. This blog was edited by the PortCityFutures editorial team: Yi Kwan Chan and Wenjun Feng. Special thanks for comments and reviews to Giles Foster.