Mercato Centrale (Central Market), Livorno

Central Market is the main market in Livorno. After the unification of Italy in the 19th century, several major cities, Livorno among them, went through a renewal period called "Risanamento" (Remediation). The market was the result of the rage for iron and glass that followed.

Construction started in 1889 after the demolition of some 17th-century fortifications. The work was completed in 1904. The facade is 312 feet long, overwhelming the Royal Canal. It is rectangular, with an entrance on each of its four sides. The Main Entrance is at the end of the Street of Our Lady (Via della Madonna).

Arched windows line the side walls flanked with Corinthian columns and pilasters. The upper floor is a smaller similar structure, a double roof centered on the ground floor roof. The main hall of the interior is graced with caryatids. The arched windows on the top walls and the double roof afford generous light for the high-ceilinged market rooms.

In the main hall, shops display the foods of Tuscany for the most part. Two other rooms sell fish and vegetables. The fish room has 22 marble counters. The veggie room has 22 vegetable stands. The total market capacity is 230 stands or stalls and 24 shops. In fact, Livorno's Central Market is the second largest indoor market in Europe, second only to the Boqueria Market in Barcelona.

Livorno has a well-deserved reputation for its religious tolerance. Jews were free to live within the walls, escaping the kind of persecution that they encountered in other parts of Europe. The Jewish influence can be found today in the kosher fish and tomato-based dishes seen in the market.