"Livorno" by Ronald Menti is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Leghorn, more often referred to as Livorno, is a port situated on the Ligurian Sea in Tuscany.  This location plays a big role in the story of Safie, her father, and the De Lacey’s. Safie and her father seek asylum in Leghorn from the French government following the escape of “the Turk”. The city was founded as a port city in the 16^th century by the Medici and delivered many foreign merchants and shipping companies. (Francis and Francis) Until Italian rule in 1860, the city was a free port where goods could be sent and received free of Customs Duty. (Britannica) The scene of the city is quite modernized today after suffering critical damage by bombing in World War II. It was later condemned in its early history that all merchants of any religion and statue may settle and trade in Leghorn. Though, European states began regulating trade and diplomacy, imposing control over their merchants. (Lillie) In a way, Leghorn acts as a gateway to Safie’s new life, when she makes the decision to not accompany her father and seek her ultimate destiny in Germany. Historically, we see Leghorn as a cultural crossroad, a free port for diversity and culture from the east to the west, that helps shape Safie’s identity. Her unique position in the novel as a character of multicultural background, her mother French and father Turkish, seeking freedom, emphasizes what Leghorn represents: a place of conflict but also personal opportunity.

https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/leghorn-or-livorno/

https://www.britannica.com/place/Livorno-Italy

https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/1124/