Marco Del Francia's Book Uncovers Livorno's Overlooked 20th-Century Architecture

Marco Del Francia has published "Architettura contemporanea. Livorno e provincia" (Edifir, 2021), a volume cataloguing over 60 buildings constructed in the province of Livorno since 1945. The book aims to raise awareness of a rich architectural heritage often ignored by the public and even professionals. Del Francia, an architect and contributor to Artribune's podcast Tuscany Today, selected works using criteria from Italy's Ministry of Culture but expanded them to include previously unpublished buildings by unknown architects. The territory, described as cosmopolitan and multicultural, attracted masters like Gio Ponti, Giovanni Michelucci, and Vittorio Giorgini, as well as contemporary figures such as Massimiliano Fuksas and Studio Archea. The book also addresses the precarious state of many mid-century buildings, which lack legal protection due to their age. Examples include the Baracchine by Toraldo Di Francia being demolished in Livorno (two units to be restored) and Vittorio Giorgini's Casa Esagono in Baratti, set for restoration with regional funding. Del Francia is also working on a traveling exhibition with the Order of Architects of Livorno and a digital version of the catalogue. The project is part of a series on Tuscan 20th-century architecture, following a previous volume on Grosseto.