Livorno: Two or three things I know about her…


“Livorno: due o tre cose che so di lei…” (original title) is a documentary on Livornese identities created by SANTIFANTI for the 400th anniversary of the foundation of the city of Livorno (1606-2006).

The genealogical research started in 1999 by Matteo Giunti (this website’s creator) guides us through the history of not just one single family but of a whole network of foreign families living in Livorno in the past centuries. These were mostly Protestant merchants from all over Europe with ties in Africa, Turkey and the United States.

It is both a family history and a European history, where individual paths entwine to form a complex social and cultural scenario, hinting perhaps at present day market globalization and multi-cultural societies. As such Livorno appears to be a land of freedom, a city ahead of its time, where multiple identities coexist and can fully express themselves, although the extent of the Grand ducal tolerance has often been idealized and misrepresented.

The audio is in Italian and French, with subtitles in Italian.

Enjoy the film!

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