Livorno: the sport and its champions
Livorno, a historic port city, a crossroads of peoples and cultures, has given birth to famous artists such as the painters Amedeo Modigliani, Giovanni Fattori, the composer Pietro Mascagni, and more recently to personalities from the cinema and entertainment such as Paolo Virzì and Paolo Ruffini.
But it is not just the names of artists that have made Livorno excel, and have made it so proud of its inhabitants. The city of Livorno has in fact a solid and glorious sporting tradition, so much so that it became the Italian Sports Capital in 2013, winning 500 medals in the sporting events of the Olympics, European Championships and World Championships.
From the Olympic Games to the various world championships, at a competitive or amateur level, Livorno has always had a happy and close relationship with sport, especially with the disciplines of fencing, running and rowing.
Among the best known athletes are Gabriele Detti, swimming champion, who obtained the bronze medal both at the European Championships in Berlin and at the 2016 Rio Olympics with the 400 meters in freestyle; Andrea Baldini, in the men’s team foil, with the gold medal received in the XXX Olympics in London; Giulia Quintavalle and Luca Agamenonne, who conquered the Beijing tatami with gold and silver respectively; Aldo Montano, champion of saber, with bronze in Beijing and gold in Athens, in addition to the medals collected in Moscow and Catania.
In football, however, we remember Cristiano Lucarelli and Igor Protti, who brought the team to Serie A, and Armando Picchi, to whom the city stadium was dedicated.