The hearth of the ancient town designed by Buontalenti is represented by Piazza Grande, where there is the Cathedral dedicated to St Francis and built between 1594 and 1606 to the design by Alessandro Pieroni. The Duomo was then enlarged during 1700.
Bombing during the Second War caused severe damage to the Leghorn cathedral, that was rebuilt afterwards according to the original design. The interior is in theshape of a Latin cross shaped with a single nave, and houses works of great value, such as the Our Lady of the Assumption by Passignano and St Francis receiving the Child from Mary by Empoli. To the right of the entrance it is possible to admire the monument to Marquis Marco Alessandro del Borro, sculpted by the florentine artist Giovan Battista Foggini.
Piazza Grande was completely rebuilt after the last World War, and therefore the palaces around it are all modern in style. Behind Palazzo Grande, which is in front of the Cathedral, there is the large building of the town hall with the Palazzo Comunale, built in 1720 to the design by Giovanni del Fantasia.
Inside the palace is kept a beautiful painting by Sustermans showing the Grand Duke Ferdinando II receiving the Merchants. Pag. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5