Museo della Citta

Livorno's Museo della Città occupies the Bottini dell'Olio, an oil warehouse built for the Grand Duchy's administration. The museum brings together archaeological, civic and artistic collections, extending into the former church of the Luogo Pio.

Why it matters

Opened in 2018, the museum gathered civic collections that had previously been dispersed. Its holdings include archaeological material from Etruscan and Roman Livorno, medieval documents, coins and frescoes, and objects connected with the Risorgimento. The collection also records artists associated with the city, including poster designer Leonetto Cappiello and composer Pietro Mascagni. Postwar and contemporary works include pieces by Piero Manzoni, Enrico Castellani, Giorgio Griffa, Mario Nigro, Tancredi Parmeggiani, Emilio Vedova, Giuseppe Uncini and Gianfranco Baruchello.

What to notice

The Bottini dell'Olio's cross-vaulted halls and columned ground floor reflect its original use as an oil storehouse. Archaeological finds and mosaics from the Livorno area share the complex with medieval charters and objects from the Risorgimento. The former church of the Luogo Pio, designed by Giovanni del Fantasia in 1713, contains modern works including Pino Pascali's Grande Rettile, Arnaldo Pomodoro's Rotante con sfera interiore and Emilio Isgrò's La corsa di Alma. The pairing of warehouse architecture, a former sacred space and modern art brings distinct periods of the city's history together.

Context and history

The Bottini dell'Olio was built in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries under Grand Duke Cosimo III to store olive oil. Its cellars connected with the canal network of the Venezia Nuova quarter. The complex includes the former church of the Luogo Pio and the Biblioteca Comunale. The museum belongs to Livorno's Musei Civici system.