We love baccala cooked in tomato sauce, and this recipe is quite close to the way our mother prepared the dish, especially around the Christmas holidays.

1. 2 pounds dried salt cod, rinsed and soaked for 24, changing the soaking water often
   
   
2. 1/4 cup seasoned flour
   
   
3. Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil
   
   
4. 4 large cloves garlic, minced
   
   
5. 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce (your favorite will do, but we like a lighter and more liquid sauce for baccala)
   
   
6. 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
   
   
7. Salt and freshly ground pepper.

Clean and dry the soaked cod, cutting it into serving size pieces. Lightly flour the pieces, and place them in a large sauté pan with the olive oil. When the second side of the cod is nearly brown, add the garlic to the pan and let it cook until the fish is nicely browned on both sides. Add the tomato sauce, and cook for about 30 minutes, then add the parsley and adjust the seasonings. We like this with crusty bread and a green salad.

Cacciucco is the signature dish of Livorno, and you are likely to find this fish stew on the menu at nearly every restaurant in the area that serves local dishes. Eel and squid are always included, as well as a variety of shellfish and firm fleshed white fish. Octopus and cuttlefish are also staples of this dish. Shrimp and mullet are good additions. You can choose your own selection of seafood, but be careful to add the fish in the order of cooking time.

1. 4 pounds fresh seafood, cleaned and prepared for cooking.
2. Fish trimmings and shells, but no bile or intestines
3. Salt and freshly ground pepper
4. Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5. 1 medium onion, chopped
6. 1 carrot, chopped
7. 2 stalks celery, chopped
8. 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
9. 4 cloves garlic, chopped
10. 2 small hot chili peppers
11. 1 bay leaf
12. 1 sprig fresh thyme
13. 1 sprig fresh oregano
14. 2 cups dry red wine
15. 2 large cans chopped tomatoes

Cook all of the vegetables and seasoning until soft in a generous amount of olive oil, and add the wine, the tomatoes, and the fish trimmings. Cook this mixture for about 40 minutes, until it is reduced and thickened. At this point, strain the entire mixture through a sieve and set aside.

Brown all the seafood lightly in olive oil, but be sure to do this in the order of necessary cooking time. Then, when browned, add to the strained broth, season to taste and cook for another 10 minutes.

In Livorno, this is served over fried or toasted bread.

The Medicis founded Livorno as port to rival Pisa in 1577. They commissioned Buonatalenti to build the city with its fortresses and military outposts. Ferdinando de Medici encouraged exiles to come to Livorno and the city soon became a melting pot of sorts for the entire Mediterranean. The city grew and developed steadily for centuries, but when Italy reached unification in 1868, the importance of Livorno as an independent free port evaporated, and the city diminished somewhat in importance.

However, its position and history kept the heart of Livorno alive, and today it is Tuscany's third city, and a lively industrial port known for its maritime traditions and history. Livorno is the home of the Italian Naval Academy and one of the major ports of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Those of you who have read Chen's book, Rosemary and Bitter Oranges, will not be surprised to learn that her well-to-do family were in the shipping and import business.

There are wonderful views of the coast from several points throughout the city, and the historic center of the town is not without its charms. The original Medicean port is overlooked by both the Fortezza Vecchia and the Fortezza Nuova. The Fortezza Vecchia was built by Sangallo il Giovane, and it stands as a monument to the efforts of the Medici to build a great city where only a small fishing village once stood; its architecture and position combine to make it the most imposing among the Medicena urbanization projects of Livorno. The Fortezza Nuova was built in the 18th century, and today it is a pleasant park, providing visitors with terrific coastal views.

Between the two fortresses lies the district of Nuova Venezia, of which Cadogan's Tuscany guide says, "for picturesque tranquillity, it may outdo its famous precursor. Little Venice is a quarter only a few blocks square, laced with quiet canals that flow between the Fortezza Nuova and the port, lined with sun bleached tenements hung with the week's wash." The channels of Little Venice were important to the early fishermen who began to inhabit this neighborhood in the 17th century. You can also find the Santa Caterina church here, and in it, Vasari's Coronation of the Blessed Virgin in the apse.

As mentioned earlier, Ferdinando encouraged immigration and welcomed exiles to Livorno, and hence the town is dotted with churches representing a variety of nationalities and religions. Armenians, Greeks, and the Dutch all have national churches in Livorno, and there is a Sephardic synagogue. Most visitors interested in churches head to the heart of the city, the Piazza Grande, where the cathedral stands. It contains notable works by Jacopo Ligozzi, Passignano, and Andrea del Sarto.

It is not the cathedral however, that is Livorno's most enduring architectural and artistic monument. This honor belongs to the monument Quattro Mori, or the Four Moors. The monument was begun by Giovanni Bandini in 1595 and completed my Pietro Tacca in 1626, The bronze figures of the four Moors are symbolic of the town's far flung traditions, and it is dedicated to Ferdinando I.