LIVORNO. Twenty-two years ago Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, then President of the Republic, crossed the entrance of the Goldoni Theater, walked down the aisle of the stalls, and sat among his people. A simple gesture, but with great symbolic significance. With his presence, he wanted to emphasize the importance of the reopening of the theater, which had been closed and abandoned for many years, and to celebrate a season of the city of Livorno characterized by enthusiasm, planning, and confidence in the future. A sign of hope that spoke to the Tuscan community and found in Ciampi’s figure the most authoritative of witnesses.
A Livornese who, despite having held the highest offices of the State, never stopped feeling an integral part of his city but also of the entire Tuscany region, maintaining an authentic and deep relationship with them. Since then many things have changed. We have gone through difficult years, marked by economic, social, and productive transformations that have severely tested the fabric of our cities. Tuscany, however, has never stopped looking within itself for the energy to react, starting from a history, a personality, and a character that have no equal in the national landscape. In this context, Livorno has never been a trivial city. Here trivial things have never happened and trivial characters have never lived.
From the Livornine Laws, which made the city a model of openness, coexistence, and hospitality, to the courageous response to the Austrians in 1849; from the birth of the Italian Communist Party in 1921, to the pages of the Resistance and the great battles of the workers’ movement of the twentieth century. Livorno has often been a protagonist in Italian history, a place of confrontation, ideas, change, and experimentation of new political models. Alongside the events, there are the women and men who built its identity. Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi, Giovanni Fattori, Pietro Mascagni, Amedeo Modigliani, Giorgio Caproni. And also: Federico Caprilli, innovator of modern horsemanship, the “Scarronzoni” and many other protagonists of sport and city life. Different figures among them, but united by a strong bond with this land and the ability to leave a mark far beyond local borders. Among these, of course, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi holds a special place. Man of institutions, servant of the State, convinced Europeanist, he knew how to combine authority and simplicity, always keeping alive the relationship with his roots. A bond that Livorno continues to recognize and honor, as demonstrated by the dedication we wanted of the Rotonda d’Ardenza, one of the most beloved and representative places of the city.
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This is our frame of reference: the puzzle of a unique community, proud of its history and identity. Able to look to the future with confidence, leveraging our strengths, culture, diverse economy, capacity to innovate, and the quality of life that only our territory can offer.
In a complex and competitive world, Tuscany and Livorno can grow and establish themselves only by keeping alive the awareness of what they have been and what they want to become, never giving up that free, open, and deeply human soul that has always represented the distinctive trait of the Tuscans. Exactly what Carlo Azeglio Ciampi urged us to do in many different moments in which he wanted to combine his experience and convictions with the boundless affection for the city where he was born and never forgot.
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* mayor of Livorno
